Colorado Woman Arrested On Suspicion Of Arson After Burning Confederate Flag

[DonViejo]

Source: TPM

A Colorado woman was arrested on suspicion of arson for organizing a Confederate flag burning, according to the The Colorado Springs Gazette newspaper.

Patricia Cameron, who runs a news blog, was arrested and released Wednesday night, the newspaper reported. She reportedly organized the Confederate flag burning on July 4, from which photographs and videos surfaced on social media.

"An accelerant was poured onto the flag, which was held over a small grill, lit with a lighter, at which point flames erupted," police wrote in a news release, according to the newspaper. "The situation posed a risk of danger to the property and citizens of Manitou Springs, as there were multiple people in the area."

Watch the full video of the flag burning from YouTube user Steve Carlin:

###


Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/woman-arrested-confederate-flag-burning

[librechik]

1. oo oo--take it to the Supreme Court!

[Daemonaquila]

2. *ahem* NOPE!

"Arson" for burning something in a grill... So, it's a barbecue if you grill a steak, but an arson charge if you offend a DA by burning a flag on the same grill?

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

3. Hmmmm...

... so there are Stars and Bars fans in Colorado Springs? I doubt this would happen if a bunch of drunk tailgaters were burning a Nebraska Cornhuskers or Iowa Hawkeyes flag at this location.

Glad I totally avoided Colorado Springs while I was in Colorado for 3 weeks last month.

[PatrynXX]

5. I was there in 1988

Nice place. at the time. smh. course I was like almost 13 back then.

[jtuck004]

10. "so there are Stars and Bars fans in Colorado Springs" < All over the U.S. n/t

[RKP5637]

12. Colorado Springs - Ugh! Nice place to avoid. n/t

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

15. If it's "free speech" to burn the American flag, it can't be arson to burn the Confederate flag.

I call extreme bullshit on this one.

[Shrike47]

4. The charges will dismissed and the arresting jurisdiction sued, successfully. Free speech, guys.

[Comrade Grumpy]

6. This seems like a ridiculous charge.

[sufrommich]

7. Welcome to your 1st amendment lawsuit,Manitou Springs,Co.!

[christx30]

8. Did she own the flag she burned? Or did she take it?

If she owned it, and did it in a safe way, like in the grill the police report discribes, I'd say it's ok. If it's safe to make burgers in that thing, it's safe to burn a Confederate flag, and there should be no case against her.

[packman]

18. Maybe O.K. to make burgers

but what about the taste, you know - that yucky, phlegmy , slimy taste that just sort of lingers.

[christx30]

20. I was just talking about the safety of

building a fire in a grill. If she's burning her own property in that grill, she shouldn't be charged. If she's burning someone else's property in that grill, or is doing so in a way that is unsafe, she should be.
But from what I understand in this case, it's just the cop not liking the burning of that flag.

I witnessed the burning of a UN flag just outside the fence at the Texas state capitol building back in the late 1990's. The protestor didn't use any kind of accelerant, just lit it with a Zippo and dropped it in a plastic bucket, which was on a sidewalk. A State Trooper stepped a few feet closer, but did not speak to the burner, and no one was arrested.

[packman]

22. I knew what your post was about

guess the point I was trying to make was the distasteful effects of burning that flag would have.

[SoapBox]

9. Bull.

What a load of crap! And Banksters walk free!

"An accelerant was poured onto the flag, which was held over a small grill, lit with a lighter, at which point flames erupted," police wrote in a news release, according to the newspaper. "The situation posed a risk of danger to the property and citizens of Manitou Springs, as there were multiple people in the area."

An accelerant? Like bar-b-que lighting fluid? And a danger to the "citizens" of Manitou Springs...an A Bomb would be a danger to the populace, not burning a piece of cloth.

More police idiots.

[blackspade]

11. A charge is search of a crime.

What a bunch of bullshit.
The contortions that the cops will go through to find a crime are repulsive.

[1monster]

13. And here I thought burning things in a charcoal grill was an American tradition

in the summer time!

Shucks, darn.

[samsingh]

14. maybe the confederate flag burned itself.

[bluestateguy]

16. Texas v. Johnson (1989)

Thank you. We're done here.

[packman]

17. Sorry - this is the funniest thing I've read today

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

Oh, the horror - the horror.



I do believe I know what I will start my grill with today - I will print one out , of course. even though I could go around the corner and rip one off my neighbor's front porch

[sadoldgirl]

19. As soon as I read the title, I knew the town.

Colorado Springs is the hardcore conservative
area in the Eastern part of the state. I hope
that they will fight this idiocy.

[uncle ray]

24. Manitou Springs is NOT Colorado Springs.

Manitou is quite liberal. the area is still feeling the wrath of previous years wildfires, nobody in the area is accepting of actions that even appear to pose a fire risk or break laws regarding fire safety. the Waldo Canyon fire burned hundreds of homes and left Manitou to deal with major flash flooding from any rain that would hit the burn scar. it was quite terrifying to colorado's 2nd largest metro area.

[JPK]

21. Arson!? Arrest!?

I will bet there were phone calls from lawyers chomping at the bit to take her case and press a law suit. Then I would start the negotiating. Which firm would give me the best deal. Me thinks she hit the Lotto!

[AwareOne]

23. It has nothing to do with the confederate flag

if she had burned a phone book in the same manner the charge would be the same. You are not allowed to have an open flame under the pavilion, gas grills only.

[Telcontar]

25. That's the only rational reason I've heard for an arrest

That makes sense, especially in light of the wildfire risk

[juxtaposed]

26. how could someone burn anything under a wood structure

and not expect to be called out on it.. If the truss wood structure had caught on fire where would we be.