Current Events > Iowa Man gets 15 YEARS in PRISON for BURNING an LGBTQ FLAG!!

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30 y/o anti-gay pig, Adolfo Martinez from Iowa was sentenced to 15 YEARS in the big house for a hate crime of arson after he BURNED an LGBTQ flag flying at a CHURCH!!

He was also given a year for reckless use of explosives or fire and 30 days for harasssment as they will be served consecutively

He was found guilty of a hate crime that is a class D felony, 3rd degree harassment and reckless use of fire

He stole the flag hung at Ames United Church of Christ and it was found burning on June 11 outside Dangerous Curves Gentleman's Club

The media spoke to him back in November and said he did it because he is FIERCELY against HOMOSEXUALITY and did it for GOD!

He declined to give his side of the story and said "It is my honour, it is written, it is a judgement and it is written to execute vengeance on the heatehn and punishments upon the people. it is my honour to do so, and it is honour to do that. it is a blessing from the Lord, plain and simple. It was an honour to do that, it's a blessing from the Lord to be able to stand for his wordfirmly against all odds plain and simple. I wish no harm upon any individual however if you guys are going to bring forth and address it in such a manner than by all means necessary bring it forth bro, i have God on my side"

In his bizarre interview he was SHOUTING at the reporter and said he had NO REGRETS but said he is guilty as charged and said it live on air and burned down their "pride" and said NON-BELIEVERS would agree with him as he told the media "I have the spirit of God on my side BRO"

Do you think what he did deserves 15 years?

Aldofo - Going Yellow to Orange

https://i.imgur.com/MGzUxrF.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/yj5qW5M.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/SOciAD7.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/xLjHai2.jpg

Where the flag was hung -

https://i.imgur.com/ou0LBZa.jpg

Where the burnt flag was found -

https://i.imgur.com/BawPcDr.jpg
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Fifteen years is excessive, even Draconian.
Hell, it's legal per the Supreme Court to burn the American flag.
Burning an LGBTQ flag constitutes hate speech, I understand, but he's not causing physical harm to anyone.

If you buy something other than a live animal you get to burn it if you want to.

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For burning a flag? No

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he got 15 year for a hate crime against a protected group, not simply for burning a flag. he also stole the flag and was cited for reckless use of fire. its not like he went to the store, bought one and just burnt it. he stole one that was hanging somewhere already and burnt it in a hate crime against a group of people whom are protected....So no he didn't get 15 years for "burning a flag". he got 15 years for a lot more.

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TheVipaGTS posted...

he got 15 year for a hate crime against a protected group, not simply for burning a flag.

He shoulda bought his own flag and burned it at home. Same result minus prison .

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Seems to me arson is what got him all that time. His reasons were anti-LGBTQ obviously.

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15 years is a really excessive sentence for burning a flag.

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People who have a problem with the justice system will rejoice.

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Is he a pig? Yes.
Should he be arrested? No, First Amendment.

Rereading it, he stole the flag. That's a different story.

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Robbery and arson is bad

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He sounds mentally ill

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Well this is obviously ridiculous since people sometimes get less for murder.

It's also pretty stupid considering if he beat a gay person half to death he would get less time. I'm aware it's a "multiple charges" thing, but the whole needs to be taken into account. Stealing a flag and burning it should never ever get anywhere near the amount of time as actually physically harming someone.

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Am I correct in thinking that Gentlemens club is some kind of gay club/LGBTQ hang out? And thats where he burned it?

Yeah. He wasnt sentenced for burning a flag.

That's a ridiculously high sentence. He stole property of low monetary value and burned it which he should get some punishment for. He shouldn't get an additionally 15 years tacked on because people are offended by his speech.

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I'm confused. He stole it and burnt it some where else. So it's not like he was trying to burn down the church. How is that 15 years? 1 year and 2 years probation seems more fitting for a heavy punishment for this. Yeah, I never want our first amendment fuck with if something like this can get 15 years. Don't think this would hold up if he had the money to keep appealing.

Fair, next.

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Unit7 posted...

Am I correct in thinking that Gentlemens club is some kind of gay club/LGBTQ hang out? And thats where he burned it?

Yeah. He wasnt sentenced for burning a flag.

Gentlemens club is an old term mainly used for strip clubs. Not really a gay only thing.

tho, he did seek out a gay club for his bs.

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Abiz_ posted...

I'm confused. He stole it and burnt it some where else. So it's not like he was trying to burn down the church. How is that 15 years? 1 year and 2 years probation seems more fitting for a heavy punishment for this. Yeah, I never want our first amendment fuck with if something like this can get 15 years.

"He was found guilty of a hate crime that is a class D felony, 3rd degree harassment and reckless use of fire"

Its not hard to just leave people alone and not attack protected groups. Fuck outta here with this "MUH FIRST AMENDMENT" nonsense. You can't yell FIRE in a crowded room, you can't use hate speech...and those hate speech laws are the result of people like him doing things like this, so blame him and others like him, not the law.

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Rape gets less than that, that is kinda fucked up.

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TheVipaGTS posted...

You can't yell FIRE in a crowded room, you can't use hate speech...and those hate speech laws are the result of people like him doing things like this, so blame him and others like him, not the law.

Cancer only spreads if you ignore it. I will blame him,but I will also blame people like you for trying to control speech.

Irony posted...

For burning a flag? No

For burning someone else's flag, probably.

Abiz_ posted...

Cancer only spreads if you ignore it. I will blame him,but I will also blame people like you from trying to control speech.

Its not controlling speech. its preventing the spread of hate speech, which leads to stuff like this. Sure, he just took a flag and burnt it, but if he was more reckless with the fire and caused more damage, we've seen people do more harm due to hate speech like this, and not just against the LGBTQ...There are consequences for your actions. If he just said "I hate gay people" he wouldn't have gotten arrested, but he took it several steps further. who is to say he wouldn't take it further than this later on? He was yelling at the news reporter like a psycho and showed zero remorse. he still has that hate in him which he already acted on and has done nothing to show he won't act on it again...this is all his fault, no one is trying to "censor him". this isn't a first amendment issue.

and yes, i don't know if 15 years fits the "crime" but that's more an issue of our judiciary system. depending on what state you're in, what district you're in, what court house you're in and what judge you get, the same crimes can get different sentences. Its always been like that. That's an issue with our court system. But what he got is a direct result of him acting on his speech, and directing it at people, in this case that club and people in it....,not the speech itself.

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TheVipaGTS posted...

this isn't a first amendment issue.

Correct this isn't a first amendment issue. Seeing Hate crime having such a high punishment when no one got hurt is ridiculous. Which makes me think hate speech laws would be just as over the top.

Their are people that want hate speech laws. I can only imagine how tyrant like that will be used and abused. It will be used to jail and fine people. It will not stop the hate, but deepen it.

https://www.ted.com/speakers/megan_phelps_roper This is a woman who grew up in a hateful cult. She wasn't changed by restricted speech. She changed because someone explained to her views were wrong through debate.

UnhndredDescole posted...

The fact that its arson probably plays a big part.

That doesn't fuel anti LGBT rhetoric though, and the topic wouldn't get nearly as many responses if it's just "arsonist thief commits hate crime and gets 15 years"

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You can burn the American Flag in this country under the protection that very flag provides for you the right to do so, yet...THIS is worth 15 years?

The guy is an asshole, but thats still excessive

Kensaimage posted...

You can burn the American Flag in this country under the protection that very flag provides for you the right to do so, yet...THIS is worth 15 years?

The guy is an asshole, but thats still excessive

Why do people keep ignoring that it wasn't the flag that got him the time. You're ignoring so much context.

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TheVipaGTS posted...

Why do people keep ignoring that it wasn't the flag that got him the time. You're ignoring so much context.

Except it was. Replace that flag with an American flag and the sentence would be significantly reduced.

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Irony posted...

Except it was. Replace that flag with an American flag and the sentence would be significantly reduced.

Well no i just mean that the whole "OH SO YOU CAN BURN AN AMERICAN FLAG BUT NOT THIS ONE THATS BULL SHIT" argument...It wasn't just "burning a flag" that got him in trouble. Aside from the stolen property and arson its a hate speech issue, which he acted on, and that hate speech wasn't general. he didn't just buy a flag at Target and go to the middle of town and burn it. he targeted a specific club and be extension, those who attend that club or visit that building. Again, if you think 15 years is too much for that, that's a whole different discussion about how our court system works around the country. but he didn't get 15 years "just for burning a flag".

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TheVipaGTS posted...

Aside from the stolen property and arson its a hate speech issue

It wasn't a first amendment issue though? So you are saying hate speech got him 15 years? You aren't being very consistent. If that was the case. Appealing to a higher court would get that thrown out on constitutional grounds. Hate speech isn't the same thing as hate crime.

Absolutely absurd sentence for the crime. Stealing's bad, arson's bad, hate crimes are bad, but the punishment far outweighs the crime(s). He's a douche, and he sounds a little tweaked, but he didn't hurt anybody. A chunk of his life is gone because he did something stupid. Not because he killed a guy, not because he robbed someone at gunpoint, not because he burned a building down.

He burned a flag. The one flag you apparently can't burn, I guess.

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TheVipaGTS posted...

Well no i just mean that the whole "OH SO YOU CAN BURN AN AMERICAN FLAG BUT NOT THIS ONE THATS BULL SHIT" argument...It wasn't just "burning a flag" that got him in trouble. Aside from the stolen property and arson its a hate speech issue, which he acted on, and that hate speech wasn't general. he didn't just buy a flag at Target and go to the middle of town and burn it. he targeted a specific club and be extension, those who attend that club or visit that building. Again, if you think 15 years is too much for that, that's a whole different discussion about how our court system works around the country. but he didn't get 15 years "just for burning a flag".

Here is Iowa's hate crime code.

https://oneiowa.org/laws/hate-crime-laws/

Hate crimes are defined as crimes committed against a person of their property because of the persons race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, age, or disability, or the persons association with a person of a certain race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, age, or disability.

Political affiliation is protected. Would you be accepting of a similarly harsh sentence for someone who stole Trump2020 sign from someone's yard and burned it?


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hahaha that's great. I don't care that he's in jail I am sick of asses like this trying to scare marginalized groups. Maybe this will send a message to these nutcases finally.

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DifferentialEquation posted...

Here is Iowa's hate crime code.

https://oneiowa.org/laws/hate-crime-laws/

Political affiliation is protected. Would you be accepting of a similarly harsh sentence for someone who stole Trump2020 sign from someone's yard and burned it?

Political affiliation isn't a protected class

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Abiz_ posted...

It wasn't a first amendment issue though? So you are saying hate speech got him 15 years? You aren't being very consistent. If that was the case. Appealing to a higher court would get that thrown out on constitutional grounds. Hate speech isn't the same thing as hate crime.

Yes, its not a first amendment issue AFTER HIS ACTIONS...as i said, if he just said "I don't like gay people" or something like that he would be fine. His first amendment rights were not violated here. people say that stuff all the time. they post it on twitter all the time. are they in jail? Nope. Its the fact that he acted on them towards a specific group, in this case, that club, and his actions of arson are a direct result of hate speech against a protected group....why is this so difficult for you to comprehend. Again, if your issue is the length of time he got, i agree with you, as i said several times, its a direct result if the inconsistency of our courts. if this happened in a different state with a different judge he might have just gotten probation, who knows. That's just the way our courts work. But his first amendment rights were not violated here. That's not what they sentenced him for.

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DifferentialEquation posted...

Political affiliation is protected. Would you be accepting of a similarly harsh sentence for someone who stole Trump2020 sign from someone's yard and burned it?

You and many in this topic are intertwining two different issues. If you think 15 years is too much, fine, but again, as i've said that is an issue of our court system across the country....all i'm saying is his first amendment rights were not violated and he wasn't given 15 years simply for "burning a flag".

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free speech shouldn't protect hate speech imo

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This is this guy's third felony btw
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PleaseClap posted...

This is this guy's third felony btw

Ok that makes sense.

smh why couldn't duckbear include that info?

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DifferentialEquation posted...

Would you be accepting of a similarly harsh sentence for someone who stole Trump2020 sign from someone's yard and burned it?

Burning a flag isn't the issue.
Theft and vandalism are the issue.

viewmaster_pi posted...

smh why couldn't duckbear include that info?

I know right. Damn it Duckbear. I knew better than to comment in one of your topics.

viewmaster_pi posted...

smh why couldn't duckbear include that info?

Would there have been as big a CE shitstorm if we actually had the context?

Private property rights working against conservatives.

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IShall_Run_Amok posted...

Private property rights working against conservatives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX7wtNOkuHo

He should get a slap on the wrist tbh.

Like, physically, and once from every gay person in America

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DocileOrangeCup posted...

He should get a slap on the wrist tbh.

Like, physically, and once from every gay person in America

Hm, so the gay community is probably between 6-10% of the American population. We are 300+ million strong. So that could be like 30 million slaps. I wonder what that would do to a person wrist.

Questionmarktarius posted...

Burning a flag isn't the issue.
Theft and vandalism are the issue.

His sentence was harsher than it would have been if it wasn't a rainbow flag.

https://www.police.iastate.edu/hate-crimes/

When committed against a person or a persons property because of the persons race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, age, or disability status, or the persons association with a person of a certain race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, age, or disability. Iowa Code 729A Violation of Individual Rights.

In Iowa, a hate crime is considered a penalty enhancement, which means a person convicted of one of the above enumerated crimes would receive a sentence one degree higher than it would be for the same crime without a bias or hate component.

The same Iowa law that gave him a penalty enhancement because the flag was a rainbow flag also applies to political affiliation. So, would you be accepting of a penalty enhancement if someone burned a Trump sign?

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