Two white men who were among the 31 Patriot Front neo-fascists arrested after terrorizing a Pride event in Idaho last month are also facing criminal charges for defacing an LGBTQ-themed mural in Washington state last year.
Independent LGBTQ media outlet Unicorn Riot reports that Spencer Thomas Simpson and Colton Michael Brown were “firmly implicated” in the mural destruction through video they shot themselves. Both “appear maskless in leaked video of a graffiti ‘practice run’ taken shortly before the covering-over of the ‘Respect & Love Olympia’ painting,” the report said.
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Unicorn Riot reports that these assholes targeted the “Respect & Love Olympia” mural last year, defacing it in the early morning hours of Oct. 16. The mural was on a city-owned building until it was destroyed.
“The mural vandalism garnered attention and outrage in the local media, with Patriot Front members declaring victory and feeling heartened when city officials announced they would remove the mural instead of continuing to repaint it,” Unicorn Riot reported in January.
Leaked logs would in fact reveal a coordinated effort by the racist organization and its goons to deface pro-LGBTQ and anti-racist murals all over the country, “aimed to terrorize non-white and pro-racial justice communities,” Unicorn Riot said.
While officials weren’t able to “positively identify” Simpson and Brown in the video of the actual defacing, video of the practice run—once again, that they shot themselves—was enough to charge them with aiding and abetting or “Complicity With” graffiti, Unicorn Riot reported. With the conspiracy/riot charges they’re already facing from their Coeur d’Alene terrorism, “local prosecutors may add hate crime charges to Brown and Simpson’s cases at a later date.”
LGBTQ Nation reported that while Simpson pleaded not guilty this past summer in relation to the mural defacement, Brown “didn’t show up to his court arraignment. The judge issued a warrant for his arrest with a $1,000 bail attached.”
Within the elected GOP, anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced at a record level within statehouses. Outside of government, extremists have worked to stoke fascist violence against LGBTQ people, and transgender people in particular. But extremists within and outside of government are linked. Christina Pushaw, press secretary for Ron DeSantis and overall internet troll, appeared to be inspired by the anti-LGBTQ slurs from the Libs of TikTok account.
Meanwhile, that TikTok account repeatedly drew negative attention to the Idaho Pride event eventually stalked by members of the racist Patriot Front group.
Both Simpson and Brown are listed among the men arrested at the Pride event in a June 13 report from Daily Kos’ Dave Neiwert. “’They came to riot downtown,’ Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White told reporters Sunday at a press conference,” he reported at the time. “He said evidence collected and other documents demonstrate that they intended to begin the riot among the Pride crowd, but then fan out to other parts of downtown. The men all face misdemeanor charges of conspiracy to riot, though White indicated that other charges could be pending for some of them.”
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Independent LGBTQ media outlet Unicorn Riot reports that Spencer Thomas Simpson and Colton Michael Brown were “firmly implicated” in the mural destruction through video they shot themselves. Both “appear maskless in leaked video of a graffiti ‘practice run’ taken shortly before the covering-over of the ‘Respect & Love Olympia’ painting,” the report said.
RELATED STORY: Conservatives are attempting to stoke fascist violence against trans Americans, and it's working
Campaign Action
Unicorn Riot reports that these assholes targeted the “Respect & Love Olympia” mural last year, defacing it in the early morning hours of Oct. 16. The mural was on a city-owned building until it was destroyed.
“The mural vandalism garnered attention and outrage in the local media, with Patriot Front members declaring victory and feeling heartened when city officials announced they would remove the mural instead of continuing to repaint it,” Unicorn Riot reported in January.
Leaked logs would in fact reveal a coordinated effort by the racist organization and its goons to deface pro-LGBTQ and anti-racist murals all over the country, “aimed to terrorize non-white and pro-racial justice communities,” Unicorn Riot said.
While officials weren’t able to “positively identify” Simpson and Brown in the video of the actual defacing, video of the practice run—once again, that they shot themselves—was enough to charge them with aiding and abetting or “Complicity With” graffiti, Unicorn Riot reported. With the conspiracy/riot charges they’re already facing from their Coeur d’Alene terrorism, “local prosecutors may add hate crime charges to Brown and Simpson’s cases at a later date.”
LGBTQ Nation reported that while Simpson pleaded not guilty this past summer in relation to the mural defacement, Brown “didn’t show up to his court arraignment. The judge issued a warrant for his arrest with a $1,000 bail attached.”
Within the elected GOP, anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced at a record level within statehouses. Outside of government, extremists have worked to stoke fascist violence against LGBTQ people, and transgender people in particular. But extremists within and outside of government are linked. Christina Pushaw, press secretary for Ron DeSantis and overall internet troll, appeared to be inspired by the anti-LGBTQ slurs from the Libs of TikTok account.
Meanwhile, that TikTok account repeatedly drew negative attention to the Idaho Pride event eventually stalked by members of the racist Patriot Front group.
Both Simpson and Brown are listed among the men arrested at the Pride event in a June 13 report from Daily Kos’ Dave Neiwert. “’They came to riot downtown,’ Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White told reporters Sunday at a press conference,” he reported at the time. “He said evidence collected and other documents demonstrate that they intended to begin the riot among the Pride crowd, but then fan out to other parts of downtown. The men all face misdemeanor charges of conspiracy to riot, though White indicated that other charges could be pending for some of them.”
RELATED STORIES:
Conservatives are now saying parents should be arrested and kids taken away for pro-LGBTQ stances
Fox News spent 19 minutes attacking LGBT people, but only 10 minutes on second Jan. 6 hearing
Fox News marks start of LGBTQ Pride Month by attacking trans people across multiple shows