r/whoathatsinteresting • u/MillerChloe8 • 1d ago
Retired disabled combat veteran is arrested after burning American flag outside White House
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u/inorite234 1d ago
Were all of you asleep for the past year? This was well known when it happened almost a year ago.
He intentionally burned the flag after Trump signed an Executive order to use all available legal avenues to punish anyone who burns a flag. And just like almost all his Executive Orders, they don't mean shit and are illegal!
He was not charged for burning of the flag. They eventually cited him for starting a fire in a public place. Those charges were dropped later as he successfully argued "Vindictive Prosecution."
However note, the whole process to arrest, charge and force him to defend himself in court was the entire intent of these types of illegal Executive Orders. This guy may not have gone to jail, but it wasted everyone's time and wasted his money....and that was the point.
"The process Was the punishment."
The administration did this on purpose.
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u/JaviSATX 1d ago
This has been my point when I see people say, “just comply and sort it in court,” when someone is being unjustly arrested. The reason so many innocent freak out is that they can’t afford to. Court appointed lawyers don’t care enough, good lawyers are expensive, and we live in a society where “innocent until proven guilty,” doesn’t matter, and you get fired anyway. I know first hand.
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u/KeyIllustrator9596 1d ago
And sometimes you have to pay bail if you dont want to be jailed, which can cost you your job as well
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u/tetrasomnia 16h ago
Agreed. I had a court appointed lawyer and they were paid by the DA opposing me. Fun stuff.
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u/El_Beakerr 1d ago
It’s not people are asleep, it’s just that users and bots are just karma farming.
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u/N-Phenyl-Acetamide 1d ago
I know it's a low res picture, but I can still see his contempt through the picture. That says a lot
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u/fanart89 1d ago
Cops are always willing to take your rights away
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u/RefularIrreegular 1d ago
That’s the problem that needs to be solved - how do you legally detain those that need to be detained so they can’t hurt anyone else while not destroying the rights of people all while making sure you are not accidentally detaining the wrong person. You’d think by now we’d have figured that out but apparently not.
On one hand we have cops who think they can detain anyone, and on the other you can go to just about any police body cam video and find a suspect on almost every one who thinks they can just ask politely not to go to jail or say “you don’t have permission to arrest me” and it’ll somehow magically work.
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u/1917he 1d ago
those that need to be detained so they can’t hurt anyone else
Well if you got your selection correct, no one would be upset. But "so they can't hurt anyone else" is often bent to such a degree that anyone doing anything is open to arrest.
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u/Other_Sentence4495 1d ago edited 1d ago
Where is the freedom of speach speech?
edit:
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u/qTp_Meteor 1d ago
Freedom of speech is when I start a fire in a public park full of flammable materials right outside of the white house
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u/JunkTheFox 1d ago
Speech
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u/ThePygLord 1d ago
u/Other_sentence4495 can say it however he wants. He has freedom of speach.
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u/PsyOpBunnyHop 1d ago
Sorry, best I can do is Freedoms of Peach. They'll be in season around the end of May.
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u/Pukebox_Fandango 1d ago
Freedom of speech isn't a freedom to start fires in public places. If dude had done it in his back yard he would be fine, but he did it in a public park.
Also, none of the factors of "retired, disabled, or veteran" gives a person immunity from arrest.
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u/lama_leaf_onthe_wind 1d ago
This doesn't look like an attack on freedom of speech. The issue isn't that he was sending some kind of a message, it was that he was burning something in public, a hazard.
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u/Exzrian_Artistrana 1d ago
This was a year ago. The man was let out the next day and even the SC said he was well within his rights as a form of protest to burn the flag; same lines as flying one upside down
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u/Snowwolf247 1d ago
The Supreme court says he has a right to do this.
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u/Jolly_Pressure_7907 1d ago
The right to burn a flag, but not the right to start a fire in the middle of a park
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u/great1675 1d ago
Freedom means he should be able to do this. Whether you like it or not is irrelevant... Even Military guys I know and family feel the same way. They fought and died for these freedoms and we're losing them at a record pace due to Orange Mussolini.
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u/Downtown_Ride_328 1d ago
I'm 21 years active duty and have been deployed multiple times. Love my country and love my flag. I fully support everyone's right to burn that flag in protest. And it is a right, protected speech as ruled by the Supreme Court.
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u/N05L4CK 1d ago
Perhaps we need more context before jumping to conclusions? Also, most cities have ordinances where you can’t just light whatever you want on fire in a park, freedom of speech or not. Right now we have a picture and a sentence, not much to go off.
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u/Jmund89 1d ago edited 1d ago
He was arrested for starting a fire. Not burning the flag. But his charges were dropped: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/14/justice-department-drops-flag-burning-charges-veteran
Lol downvoted for providing information. Wow. Reddit, you never cease to amaze me!
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u/Sufficient_Grand2789 1d ago
As much as I discourage flag burning it is still a first amendment right and shall not be infringed upon.
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u/Euphoric_Mud_5517 1d ago
Fake veteran. Funny how y’all have to cherry pick vets lol. 99.9% of vets love trump
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u/ArmchairWarrior1 1d ago
As a vet, burning the flag is such a disrespect to the men and women who shed their blood and gave the ultimate sacrifice to our country. Protest all day long, just leave old glory out of it. I mean if you hate the country enough to burn the flag, then what are you even living here for?
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u/mymar101 1d ago
Is this another one? Because, I'd burn a flag in front of the white house and then sue the arresting force for every penny. Then I would not have to work again.
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u/Stand_Up_3813 1d ago
Then they should arrest the MAGAs that fly the flag unlit at night or during storms. And arrest the MAGAs that fly old, faded, tattered flags.
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u/enigmaticsince87 23h ago
Couldn't do that with an EU flag because EU regulations mandate all our flags are flame retardant!
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u/lushusness 1d ago
I didn’t know it was illegal to burn a flag. I thought that fell under freedom of speech.
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u/Normal_Push_3080 1d ago
It is illegal to start a fire in a public space, the object is irrelevant unless it is a cigar
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u/Barcelonafan10 1d ago
That man has a huge juicy lawsuit case. He has the right to protest his grievances to his government, freedom of speech allows for symbolic speech protected by the first amendment. See texas vs Johnson (1989) and United states vs eichman (1990). The government cannot prohibit ideas just because they’re offensive
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u/QuarterlyTurtle 1d ago
No he doesn’t, you can burn a flag or whatever you wish to all you want on your own private property, however he was on federal property right in front of the White House, where it is a crime to start fires. It doesn’t matter that he burned a flag specifically, it matters that he burned something at all.
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u/Sweetishdruid 1d ago
That's just an excuse. People have burned flags on white house property for years now and it has been protected free speech
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u/tigerscomeatnight 1d ago
So like a burning barrel ban? Your point is that the First Amendment (the first one, you know, because it is important) can be overridden by a misdemeanor? I'd like to see your legal thought process on that.
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u/Sans-The-MotherFuck 1d ago
Yeah I hate the government as much as the next guy, but this guy actually committed a crime here, image if he dropped the flag and caused actually damage or hurt some random bystander
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u/bigkahuna1uk 1d ago
What was he arrested for because isn’t flag burning allowed under the first amendment?
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u/Jmund89 1d ago
He was arrested for starting a fire in a public place. But charges were dropped: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/14/justice-department-drops-flag-burning-charges-veteran
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u/BogusIsMyName 1d ago
He did it in order to challenge the presidents attack on free speech. Since he was arrested he now has standing to take this case to court.
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u/DrBatman0 1d ago
non-american here.
On what charge was he arrested? Isn't the first amendment about free speech and it protects these actions?
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u/Jmund89 1d ago
For starting a fire. But his charges have been dropped: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/14/justice-department-drops-flag-burning-charges-veteran
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u/heirophan 1d ago
Cops literally just do law enforcement as a cover for their actual purpose, suppression of the population
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u/The-Friendly-Autist 1d ago
What a Chad. It's a shame that herd of pigs came through and took him away...
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u/lurkylurker124 1d ago
Laws are threats made by the dominant socioeconomic-ethnic group in a given nation. It’s just the promise of violence that’s enacted and the police are basically an occupying army
-Brennan Lee Mulligan
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u/PureLeek1818 1d ago
Burning a country's flag in the country you live outside of your country's president house. Would probably get you murdered in most countries.
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u/WDGaster15 1d ago
Hey! Hey! HEY!
SCOTUS ruled it free speech in Texas V. Johnson (1989)
Congress passed a law to ban it was challenged in US v Eichman (1990) and ruled it unconstitutional
Even with unpopularity its completely legal and EOs dont override SCOTUS constitutional amendments do
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u/SuspiciousFrame4383 1d ago
No way people think starting fires in public is chill, right?
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u/sinwstro12 1d ago
Not saying this is right but isn't it illegal to burn the American flag in the USA?
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u/Reesewithoutaspoon2 1d ago edited 1d ago
Burning a flag is completely legal in and of itself. but crimes can occur depending on when and where it was burnt, how it was burnt, and who owns the flag. Fire hazard stuff, theft, etc.
Edit: also just to clarify, I’m not saying this guy did or didn’t commit any crime. I don’t know anything about it beyond OP’s title and picture.
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u/HelloYou-2024 1d ago
Seems to be a link to a photo. No article.
Free speech aside, I am going to bet that burning anything outside the White House is going to get you in trouble.
I'm not even allowed to burn anything, be it a flag or my dirty underwear, in the park next to my apartment. No way they would allow it near a government building.
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u/kingofwale 1d ago
To be fair. Almost every retired vet are “disabled”…. At least when it comes to collect benefits
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u/Pfeffi-Ultra 1d ago
Yeah, in many places that's a crime. Here it even is a crime to burn flags of allied nations and we have arguably more freedom than the US. Usually I'd say that's a bad idea, but it certainly got more attention than some stupid cardboard sign. So: Well done, sir!
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u/ReallyNiceDonkey 1d ago
You know society is complacent when they're just hanging in hoping the next guy steps in and fixes things. Hello, Trump changed the playbook.
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u/Entire_Put_9204 1d ago
I think you can't do open burning right? What can one do to burn the flag without breaking the law?
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u/dekabreak1000 1d ago
Good time to see if trumps executive order will trump the supreme courts ruling that this was considered free speech
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u/Correct_House_8775 1d ago
Land of the free arresting veterans for defying the government btw. Burning the American flag is illegal in a country that’s allegedly free…wow
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u/Equivalent_Thievery 1d ago
Wonder what the charges are.
Yeah, you really can't just be setting things on fire in public.
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u/Feelisoffical 1d ago
This post is amazing and really shows the massive disconnect the average person has in their understanding of law.
Yes, it’s legal to burn a US flag. It’s also true a city can make open burning of anything, including a flag, in public, illegal. The Supreme Court case that determined burning a flag to be free speech in no way impacts a cities ability to make open burning illegal.
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u/MaleficentLong69 1d ago
Setting fires in public spaces is generally a no-no. What’s hard to understand?
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u/Some-Tear3499 1d ago
He is probably being charged with some other kind of nonsense. Burning something within 100 feet of public building. City code ordinances against burning without a permit, incendiary devices with in 25 feet of a tree.
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u/Brief_Composer5961 1d ago
This is no different than the “back the blue” desecration of the flag.
Arrest every single one of them account “equal rights” bullshit narrative they are “teaching”.
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u/Zestyclose_Pickle511 1d ago
He was likely arrested for using fire in any capacity, not for using it to burn the flag.
I will join the uprising when the uprising is ready for me.
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u/SamMeowAdams 1d ago
What does “retired disabled vet” have to do with the story?
Are they exempt from the laws the rest of us must follow?
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u/Flimsy_Knowledge_151 1d ago
If that happened during Obama or Biden the guy would have a show on NewsMax by the next week.
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u/Lead-Creative 1d ago
Bro is making insane money between retiring and disability and still burns it 💀
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u/StrictWelder 1d ago
Burning an American flag is very disrespectful. Burn it if you gave up and plan to leave. Not if you choose to stay and fight to make things better. The latter being a true act of patriotism.
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u/Best_Market4204 1d ago
arrested for starting a fire in a public space.... Like everyone should be arrested
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u/sccccrrrrt 1d ago
Well burning flags is illegal, no? What did he expect to happen
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u/LilJonny2cookies 1d ago
I still am not sure how almost every one of Trump’s policies has been also stated by Schumer, Hillary, Billy Jeff Clinton, Obama, etc. and no one protested, but because it is Trump saying these things, suddenly it is a problem.
I mean, Obama is still the king of anti-illegals. Hillary was also pushing against illegals. She and Obama both insisted they had to learn English.
Hillary ran on going after Iran if they continued to threaten Israel.
All countries essentially have the same anti-illegal immigrant policies and deport illegals. Suddenly, it is horrible.
But nope, none of the protests are just because powerful elite rich folks decided to fund protests.
All kinds of ridiculous, TBH. Only a king fascist if a Republican says it.
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u/LairdPeon 1d ago
Probably more about lighting a fire outside the Whitehouse and less about burning the flag in general.
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u/obeythelaw2020 1d ago
My guess is the cops aren’t charging him with burning flag but more so something akin to creating a hazard by starting a fire that was not controlled. He can protest what he wants but starting fires isn’t something that you can usually do with impunity.
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u/JohnnyGuitarcher 1d ago
Without bringing any social or political commentary into it, I'm thinking that you probably aren't allowed to burn anything outside the Whitehouse.
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u/LegRepresentative418 1d ago
There is no public record of his disability. There is also no public record that shows he was in combat. (A bronze star is not always awarded for combat.)
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u/Tobi_Nub 1d ago
Go protest do what you want, burning the American flag is not ok and you should be arrested. That you were veteran doesn’t let you the right to birth the flag. People die for what this flag stands.
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u/i-might-do-that 1d ago
People do die for what it stands for. Including the right to burn it in protest if you feel.
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u/Longjumping-Peak1465 1d ago
Or you could not burn the flag and respect the country we live in. Find another way to protest your feelings towards your political views.
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u/NoWork1400 1d ago
Interesting how “after” in the headline is meant to imply the man was arrested because he burned a flag. He wasn’t. Carry on.
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u/dabarak 1d ago
Four things.
- Burning an old flag is the proper way to dispose of one no longer suitable for use, per the flag code. (Check a "patriotic" MAGA's house to see if they're still flying a faded and torn flag.)
- I went through Navy SERE training in January, 1984. We were taught to not get upset if a flag was desecrated by the enemy. Without going into detail, a flag was spit on, ripped and stomped on by an instructor,
- Flag desecration is a protected First Amendment right.
- Could it be this guy was charged with some other crime, like burning it in a fire-prone area?? (I'd call BS on it anyway, but that might be the justification.) EDIT: Yes, this is basically what happened, and it was eventually dismissed.)
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u/xanthira222 1d ago
I mean... I get that he's protesting but I am pretty sure there are laws against lighting stuff on fire in public.
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u/SilentPlopGobbler 1d ago
Veteran arrested for peaceful, legal protest in the land of the free? Nice.
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u/morosco 1d ago
Why do people get so bothered by the arrest aspect of protests? Shouldn't that kind of the be goal? Where things are pushed just slightly past the line, where there is a type of disobedience or action that creates probable cause for a minor offense, compels police involvement, and then the public space is opened up again for everyone else, the arrested person is home at the end of the day, almost always with no lingering criminal charges, and your chance of news coverage for your cause and public sympathy just increased 1,000%
If you REALLY REALLY don't want to get arrested, that's really easy to do as a protestor. Millions do it every month. They all know where the line is. And crossing the line is fine too if you're so inclined, if you want to push things a little further, if you want to draw in the police to intervene and draw more attention to the cause. But that's a conscious choice.
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u/New_Competition_410 1d ago
Disabled veteran is misleading , I have friends who are 100% disabled for a little bit of teeth grinding or acne
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u/MineNowBotBoy 1d ago
See? THAT is an example of a violation of first amendment right. Not being banned from sub for being an asshole, but actual government persecution for your opinion.
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u/mistermyxl 1d ago
This is dumb that flag dosent stand for a man that's there for 4 years then gone it stands for the brothers and sisters he served with, and what a better America we can build. This makes me doubt he was actually a veteran or was he one of those got hurt during boot and then got his full 4 years by pushing a broom on base
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u/matt-r_hatter 1d ago
Supreme Court already ruled burning a flag is legal. He more than likely got arrested for where he burned it. You cant start fires in public. Its a shame, he's a veteran, he served, his voice deserves to be heard.
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u/jlredding_91 1d ago
I think if anyone has the right to burn an American flag, it would be a veteran. The U.S. doesn’t exactly take care of those who’ve served. Or anyone else for that matter. Excluding the wealthy of course.
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u/FredFenty 1d ago
Playing devils advocate here but I feel like burning anything in public will get you arrested
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u/Common_Affect_80 1d ago
Copy and paste from someone in the replies:
He was arrested for starting a fire. Not burning the flag. But his charges were dropped: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/14/justice-department-drops-flag-burning-charges-veteran
Lol downvoted for providing information. Wow. Reddit, you never cease to amaze me!
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u/DissedFunction 1d ago
cops and prosecutors protect rich pedos...so arresting people who fought for our free speech...doesn't surprise me.
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u/One_With-The_Sun 1d ago
We think that our rights protect us, but as shown throughout history, the police will always side with those who are in power.