Adolfo Martinez, 30, was found guilty of a.
Adolfo Martinez, 30, of Ames, was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years for the hate crime of arson, as well as a year for the reckless use of explosives or fire, and 30 days for harassment. An Iowa man was sentenced to serve 16 years behind bars after he tore down a rainbow flag symbolizing gay pride from the front of a church and burned it. “We can’t look away from this,” she added. The Associated Press NEVADA, Iowa - A man has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for burning an LGBTQ flag that was flying at a church in central Iowa. I don’t know where this came from but I think we need to speak out against it,” she said. “There’s so much support here and acceptance. Hannah Lipman, a 26-year resident in Bethel, said this incident was “horrible,” and “definitely not who this town is.” They cannot extinguish the power, love, and mere existence of our community,” they wrote in the post. “But we can extinguish their flames of vandalism.
The group called the flag’s burning was deemed “a heinous, hateful act.” The Bethel CT Pride organization issued a statement on Facebook saying Molten Java Cafe’s flag was a “ beacon of inclusivity and community that flew outside of the space,” making it a safe haven to the LGBTQ+ community before the local group was even formed. Adolfo Martinez was found guilty on Wednesday after tearing down and burning the flag which. The pride flag is a meaningful symbol that defines a community of love and acceptance,” he added.Īllie-Brennan believes people can take incidents like this and make them an opportunity to start conversations about acceptance and kindness. A man has been sentenced to about 15 years after burning an LGBTQ flag hanging from a church in Iowa. “Being gay, in a small town is not easy and I know that personally. Click here to sign up for our free, seven-day newsletter course on legal cannabis in Connecticut.