Los Angeles CA – How long until cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago finally say enough is enough when it comes to hate crimes like defacing national cemeteries?
On Sunday, pro-Palestinian demonstrators vandalized the Los Angeles National Cemetery, which is a burial site for over 80,000 veterans of World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War, and other conflicts.
The vandalism occurred as hundreds of protesters gathered outside the US Federal Building in West Los Angeles. The entrance to the cemetery was spray painted, with the words “Free Gaza” and “intifada” spray-painted on the sign.
? VIDEO OF PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS DEFACING U.S. MILITARY CEMETERY
85,000 American soldiers from 19th, 20th, and 21st century wars are buried at Los Angeles National Cemetery.
Reminder: the pro-Israel side loves America ?? pic.twitter.com/ZFWUgzXIab
— Sia Kordestani (@SiaKordestani) January 7, 2024
Prosecutors went after criminals under these statutes last year in Los Angeles for less blatant acts.
Multiple times last year, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass spoke out against hate crimes and, in October, said, “The vile act of hate that took place this morning has no place in our city.”
On a previous incident, Rep. Ted Lieu, D “The anti-Semitic acts and vandalism in Westwood are despicable. There is no `context’ in which anti-Semitism is acceptable. It is vile, repugnant, and abhorrent,” Lieu wrote on X. “I urge law enforcement to investigate and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.”
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon posted a statement on Facebook in June saying, “The vandalism that occurred in the Westwood area yesterday is yet another harmful act that is causing fear and anger for so many in our community, myself included.”
Defacing a national cemetery is a hate crime, and there is a long list of charges authorities can file.
- Cal. 594.3 Felony vandalism with enhancement (422.7): Felony vandalism with a hate crime enhancement – It is a felony in California to vandalize a cemetery.
(b) Any person who knowingly commits any act of vandalism to a Church….. or cemetery, which is shown to have been a hate crime and to have been committed for the purpose of intimidating and deterring persons from freely exercising their religious beliefs, is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision
- California Penal Code 182: Conspiracy to commit a crime
- PC 11412: Religious Terrorism (Felony)
If the city or the state doesn’t want to, how about:
- Federal 18 US Code 247: Damage to religious property. Subsection C says if it affects foreign commerce, and that’s exactly what they are trying to do.
18 US Code 247: Damage to religious property;
(1) intentionally defaces, damages, or destroys any religious real property, because of the religious character of that property, or attempts to do so;
(b) The circumstances referred to in subsection (a) are that the offense is in or affects interstate or foreign commerce.
Protestors defaced the Lincoln Memorial last year, among other places. When criminals know there are no repercussions, things escalate.
What happened to those incidents caused by protesters? Once again, they got away with it, and now it’s escalated to a national cemetery.
Why is it that the overwhelming majority of people say to arrest them all, but nobody’s getting arrested?
I recommend emailing the people in charge and speaking out on their social media like X and Facebook. It’s called showing up for the “ratio” and is effective. It’s time we took the game to them with a professional and business-like approach.