America’s new civic religion enjoys protected status complete with catechisms from government officials and law enforcement.
After all, in a country where toppling satanic statues leads to hate crime charges, one should expect the veneration of “pride.”
According to WPLG-TV in Miami, 19-year-old Dylan Brewer of Clearwater, Florida, will face felony charges for allegedly inflicting damage on an LGBT-themed crosswalk in Delray Beach.
On Feb. 4, Brewer drove over the crosswalk and did burnouts with his truck, leaving skid marks on the road mural, according to police.
In the flow of regular traffic, of course, vehicles always drive over the crosswalk. Video evidence, however, showed that Brewer appeared to leave the skid marks on purpose, police said.
A 22-second clip posted to YouTube by the Delray Beach Police Department captured the moment:
WPTV-TV in West Palm Beach, Florida, showed the same clip and added a special woke spin.
First, reporter Joe Lopez showed the clip to an older man and woman who acted dutifully outraged.
Should Brewer be charged with a hate crime?
“Would you consider it a hate crime?” Lopez asked, begging the question.
“Absolutely,” the woman replied. “There are a lot of — I mean — there are a lot of intersections. You pick that intersection because you want to make a point.”
Indeed. Under the new woke catechism, making a point amounts to a hate crime.
Not to be outdone, Deputy Vice-Mayor Rob Long of Delray Beach showcased his Penn State University indoctrination.
“It’s a message of hate. It’s a message of intolerance. And we need to have, I think, more of a deterrent for that,” Long nauseatingly opined.
Readers may view the WPTV report here.
Meanwhile, Delray Beach police put their woke news release template to good use.
According to WPLG, police said Brewer’s “reckless action caused significant damage to the streetscape painting, which serves as a symbol of unity and inclusivity for the LGBTQ community.”
Apparently, a rainbow painting on the road cannot serve as a “symbol” of anything else.
Following his arrest, Brewer posted a $5,250 bond. He will face felony criminal mischief and reckless driving charges.
A reasonable person could understand the reckless driving charge. But felony mischief?
End Wokeness, a prominent conservative account with more than 2.2 million followers on the social media platform X, brought attention to Brewer’s arrest and the heavy-handed felony charge in a post on Wednesday afternoon.
“Dylan Reese Brewer (19) was arrested and faces felony charges for criminal mischief. His crime? Driving over an LGBTQ mural,” End Wokeness tweeted.
Dylan Reese Brewer (19) was arrested and faces felony charges for criminal mischief.
His crime? Driving over an LGBTQ mural. pic.twitter.com/ZInPf4ZC5L
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) February 13, 2024
The same crosswalk attracted similar attention nearly three years ago.
On June 12, 2021, 20-year-old Alexander Jerich also used his truck to deface the mural. Jerich later pleaded guilty to the same charges of felony criminal mischief and reckless driving.
At the time, prosecutors considered a hate crime charge, but Florida law made it impossible, according to WPTV.
Either way, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida might want to examine the felony charges and stop the madness.
Until then, the new civic religion has taken root even in the Sunshine State. And judging by the behavior of city officials, law enforcement, local reporters and even ordinary bystanders endorsing “hate crime” charges, our deluded fellow citizens do not appear poised to stop worshiping their woke god of “pride” anytime soon.
