Man facing trial for stealing, burning gay-pride flag: 'It was a prank'

[Omaha Steve]

Source: OMAHA WORLD HERALD

By Jay Withrow



A 23-year-old Omaha man charged with stealing a married lesbian couple’s gay-pride flag and setting it afire apologized for his actions Wednesday outside a Douglas County courtroom.

“I’m sorry for doing that,’’ said Cameron Mayfield. “It was a prank.”

“I don’t hate anybody or anything. ... I have gay friends,’’ he said about the March 1 theft of the 3-foot-by-5-foot rainbow-colored flag that he swiped off the porch of the couple’s Hanscom Park-area home.

“I apologize to my neighbors,’’ said Mayfield, who wore khakis, a sport coat and two small crosses around his neck. “I’ll never do anything like that again.’’

FULL story at link.



Cameron Mayfield

Read more: http://www.omaha.com/news/crime/man-facing-trial-for-stealing-burning-gay-pride-flag-it/article_7305926a-e3a2-11e4-9b9f-7b409b74ec28.html

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Ya right!!!

[leftofcool]

1. "Some of my best friends are gay"

Stuff it, asshole!

[rurallib]

15. He's singing the oldies

from when I was a little democrat: (the 50s)
"Some of my best friends are __________ " - at that time the answer was usually "Negro"

[riqster]

2. Ever so very believable.

[onethatcares]

3. "I'm sorry

I got caught"

and did you check out my two crosses on the chains around my neck?

[shenmue]

4. I always burn my friends' stuff

[kairos12]

20. Great line. Most appropriate.

[LynneSin]

5. I would punish him by community service...

and it would be by doing work around the house for the Couple whose home where he stole the flag. He would also be required to have dinner with them once a week.


Harvey Milk said the reason people hate gays is because they don't know any. I would have to agree because until I was 19 years old I thought I 'hated' gays. Turns out I just didn't know anyone who as gay. Then when I met them, became friends and realized they were just like everyone else I realized perhaps I was the asshole.

Maybe having dinner with that couple he would get to know them and realize he too was the asshole and he'd probably find out what a nice couple those two women are.

[jwirr]

7. I think this would be a good thing. Also replacing the flag.

[LynneSin]

8. And that too

I was to have said that

[Sparhawk60]

24. Good Idea

Mowing the couple's yard for the summer sounds like a great way to give the man time to think about what he did, and gets the couple free yard service. A win/win.

[Skittles]

6. when I am pranking someone, I don't destroy their possessions

I do believe Cameron just may be a certified creep

[DesertDiamond]

9. Ooooohhhh it was a PRANK!!! Well now that we know THAT, it's funny. Ha ha ha. Asswipe.

[snort]

11. No. You cannot steal a flag off of a porch and burn it.

[arcane1]

12. If it's yours, yes.

[tazkcmo]

13. Awwwww...

Larry has a sad...

[MelungeonWoman]

14. We can deface a flag in any number of ways.

[tenderfoot]

17. The Confederate Battle Flag is way more fun to burn - too bad it doesn't happen more often.

[melm00se]

16. even money his attorney

will raise Texas v. Johnson as part of his defense

[Omaha Steve]

21. He has a pricey lawer

He is facing a felony hate crime.

Duh.

[melm00se]

25. The judge

"ordered him (Cameron Mayfield) to stand trial for third-degree arson" for burning the flag.

Texas v Johnson has the following commonalities with the above action:

In both cases a flag was stolen and a flag was set afire.

while the charges are different (arson vs. desecration of a venerated object) the end result (a burned flag) is the same. This alone merits citing Texas v Johnson (and its extended 1st Amendment protection) in the motion to dismiss. Of course, the judge can deny this motion which would then draw a series of appeals.

[LiberalFighter]

18. His defense was he didn't know the rainbow flag represented gay pride.

Wow! Stupid!

1) Didn't excuse theft.
2) Didn't excuse destruction of property.
3) Didn't excuse trespass.
4) Doesn't excuse stupidity.

[jtuck004]

19. It was terrorism. n/t

[Midnight Writer]

22. If he was 14, maybe a prank

At 23, you have to wonder what other "pranks" he has pulled. Will his police record come out? Or will that be considered prejudicial?

Will he have more protection than folks like Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin or Michael Brown? Their past was fair game.

Thankfully, he didn't physically hurt anyone, but this one of the same methods the KKK used to intimidate minorities, and it should not be taken lightly.

[Judi Lynn]

23. Hateful dirtbag. Gay friends? Since when did "gay" mean sociopathic losers. n/t

[City Lights]

26. Two crosses?

He must be an extra special "Christian." One cross just doesn't cut it for Cameron. He's so holy he wears two.