Residents of Delray Beach, Florida will be sleeping a bit easier knowing that a 19-year-old fugitive surrendered to police after an intense 9-day manhunt. Graphic and disturbing surveillance videos showed Dylan Brewer’s truck in the act of making a left turn — and leaving tire tracks on the road.
Of course, there are some colored stripes painted in this particular intersection. While some might conclude that a unique work by abstract painter Jackson Pollack was damaged by Brewer’s burnout, the truth was a far more serious matter. The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council (PBCHRC) has deemed Brewer’s Dukes of Hazzard imitation a “hate crime.”
LGBTQ pride mural in Delray Beach vandalized again; Clearwater man faces charges https://t.co/z47NEgNCVe pic.twitter.com/52tKPBPM3B
— Orlando Sentinel (@orlandosentinel) February 12, 2024
“There needs to be consequences so people know if they commit crimes like this, they are going to jail, they are going to be fined, they are going to have to suffer from what they did,” said Rand Hoch, PBCHRC president in an interview with the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
The colored stripes on the road that triggered such indignation are an LGBT rainbow pride mural. Perhaps that’s why Brewer is being charged with felony criminal mischief rather than only reckless driving.
Hoch estimated it would cost $8000 to fix the mural. Perhaps he hasn’t checked Home Depot’s website for bulk paint discounts. The services of a skilled artist will not be needed, for the “mural” consists of simple color stripes appropriate for the skill level of a grade school art class. An adult volunteer can supervise to ensure no “coloring outside the lines” occurs during the repairs.
One might wonder about the precedent being set by the charges. What would happen if a member of the LGBT community was crossing that intersection without looking both ways — and a driver had to abruptly brake to avoid hitting them, leaving tire marks? If tire marks were left while trying to avoid hitting a Republican — would that make a difference?
Regarding damaged works of art, climate activists have recently tossed tomato soup and mashed potatoes on famous paintings by Van Gogh, Monet, and Vermeer. The left-leaning New York Times has published a piece that examines the issue as if these were rational acts. Outrage over attacks on the centuries-old work of straight White men is so 1600.
Leaving rubber on a glorified preschool project may be a serious offense — but surely Hoch would be just as incensed at attacks on Catholic Churches and pro-life crisis pregnancy centers. More than 100 of these occurred in 2023. President Biden’s FBI has not pursued these “hate crimes” with nearly the vigor that crimes against rainbows are prosecuted in Delray Beach.
It turns out that this particular LGBT concrete color palate has been assaulted before. Alexander Jerich in 2022 spun his tires on the same spot. He was given probation — and assigned a 25-page essay on the LGBT victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting.
Warning: the video below contains graphic images of smudged paint. Viewer discretion is advised.
But the most shocking aggravating circumstance of Brewer’s crime is the flag displayed on his truck — one sure to enrage jurors and deeply offend the community to unpardonable levels.
It bore the name of one Donald Trump.
