“I’m not proud to be American”: US citizen arrested for burning American flag
The photo was posted to Facebook by 22-year-old Bryton Mellott, an Urbana, Ill., resident and Walmart employee.
A shared the following message along with the image posted online on July 4, America’s Independence Day.
“I am not proud to be an American. In this moment, being proud of my country is to ignore the atrocities committed against people of color, people living in poverty, people who identify as women, and against my own queer community on a daily basis.
“I would like to one day feel a sense of pride toward my nationality again. But too little progress has been made. Too many people still suffer at the hands of politicians influenced by special interests. Too many people are still being killed and brutalized by a police force plagued with authority complexes and racism. Too many people are allowed to be slaughtered for the sake of gun manufacturer profits. Too many Americans hold hate in their hearts in the name of their religion, and for fear of others. And that’s only to speak of domestic issues.
“I do not have pride in my country. I am overwhelmingly ashamed, and I will demonstrate my feelings accordingly. #ArrestMe.”
Within hours of sharing the protest photo, Mellott was in handcuffs, Washington Post reported.
The newspaper said:
Despite a 1989 U.S. Supreme Court ruling deeming flag burning protected speech under the First Amendment, the Urbana Police Department justified the man’s arrest by citing Illinois’ 2013 flag desecration law — but only after Mellott’s post, which mentioned his employer, had caused so much unrest that police felt it was necessary to intervene.
Some commented on the Facebook post threatening to kill Mellot. Others said he should be charged for treason.
The authorities said the man will be charged to court for desecrating the US flag..
