Flag-burning Facebook protest leads to 4th of July arrest

This July 4, 2016 photo provided by the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office shows Bryton Mellott, who was arrested on charges including flag desecration after his flag-burning protest.

According to police, Mellott continued to post similar photos to Facebook, so police arrested him under the state’s flag desecration law. The post included his political statement of disgust over the treatment of the poor, women, homosexuals and minorities along with the hashtag #ArrestMe.

In the post that sparked controversy, Mellott said that was not proud to be an American because of what he said were the country’s racist and sexist attitudes. The post was later removed. Police say Mellott was taken into custody out of concern for his safety.

He was later released on bail. Police charged him with flag desecration and disorderly conduct, but Rietz said the state law is in conflict with federal law, and the charges were dismissed.

After consulting with the State Attorney’s Office over concerns about the statute’s legality, Mellott was released. As member station WILL reports, “By Monday morning, July Fourth, Urbana Police were receiving calls about it”.

We’ll note that according to the News-Gazette, Mellott works at a Wal-Mart.

The Supreme Court, however, has previously ruled flag burning is protected speech under the First Amendment.

The American Civil Liberties Union of IL, for its part, was none too pleased that getting jailed for flag-burning is still a thing in 2016. Our officers strive every day to achieve a balance between public safety and preservation of Constitutional rights.

In an update issued Tuesday afternoon, Urbana Police Chief Patrick J. Connolly says that his officers acted in good faith and had reviewed current state law.

Mellott’s controversial posts quickly went viral, being shared all across Facebook from people who both agreed and disagreed with him. “We respect the analysis of the State’s Attorney’s Office and their determination not to proceed with the prosecution in this matter”.

In the comments, Mellott, 22, argued with offended viewers who were disgusted at the torching, calling the Urbana resident “ignorant” and sending death threats.