Back in 2017, a man was caught on a home security camera in the early hours of Wednesday morning setting fire to an American flag as it hung from a front porch in Richmond, Va.
The video — posted online by a woman who identified herself on social media as the victim’s neighbor — shows a young-looking man approach the front of a home in the 1600 block of Floyd Avenue and fiddle with the flag’s mount. The man is then seen lighting the flag on fire before briskly walking east down Floyd Avenue toward Lombardy Street.
The incident appears to have happened about 2:15 a.m., according to a time stamp on the video.
IMO setting American ?? on fire should be a criminal act not Freedom of Speech; make them leave U.S. #TrumpsArmy pic.twitter.com/Q3cbR0BfdG
— EAGLE WINGS (@ConstanceQueen8) June 29, 2017
The homeowner, Jim Tanner, had set up a security camera six months ago to keep watch over his flower garden. To his surprise, he awoke Wednesday morning to find that his flag was gone:
Tanner said he does not know why the man set fire to the flag, but he thinks it was likely an act of random vandalism. In the video, the man appeared to be trying to remove the flag from its holder.
“I think he was too short to get it out and he got frustrated, so he burned it,” Tanner said.
The flag was attached to the beam of a wooden deck that Tanner says could have easily caught fire. The houses on his block are more than 100 years old.
Police are investigating the incident. Tanner said he wants the suspect arrested and “prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” which he absolutely should be. This was not a protected act of free speech – this was an act of arson that destroyed personal property and had the potential to destroy homes and threaten lives. Thank God the destruction wasn’t worse.
If this man was so angered by the American flag that he felt the need to burn it, he should have used his own money to buy a flag to commit the deplorable act. Better yet, maybe he should just leave the country.
Share this if you’re proud of your country and will fly the American flag high on July 4th!