Posted on 09/20/2007 8:15:13 AM PDT by DogByte6RER
Student tears Mexican flag; suspect remains at large
9/19/07
by Jeremy Hunt
Daily Lobo
A student took down a Mexican flag from a flagpole outside Scholes Hall Monday, tore it and took it to the Air Force ROTC office, police said.
A summons was issued for Peter Lynch, 30, by the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court for criminal damage to property, said Lt. Pat Davis, spokesman for UNM Police.
Davis said Lynch is not a member of ROTC, and it is unclear why he took the flag to that office.
Lynch has not been charged because UNMPD cannot find him, Davis said.
UNMPD investigated the vandalism as a potential hate crime, but witnesses from the ROTC office told police it was not a racially motivated crime, Davis said.
"He was frustrated a foreign flag was flown without an American flag nearby," he said. "We're basically investigating it on witness statements."
The Mexican Student Association raised the flag outside Scholes Hall on Friday for Mexican Independence Day, said Cheo Torres, vice president for academic affairs.
Mabel Gonzales, president of the Mexican Student Association, declined to comment.
Torres and interim vice president for institutional diversity Rita Martinez-Purson issued an apology Tuesday from the University for the incident.
"This sort of incident hurts everyone," Torres said. "It's something that you don't expect to see at a place like the University of New Mexico where we celebrate diversity."
Martinez-Purson said the incident caught her off-guard, as well.
"I don't think anything really prepares you for this type of vindictive behavior," she said. "Obviously, we need to have strong dialog across campus about respect for other people and their cultures."
Whether the vandalism was racially motivated or not, it was offensive, especially to the Hispanic community, Martinez-Purson said.
"There's still an impact that has to be dealt with," she said. "He did insult them. His thoughtless behavior had consequences."
The University won't tolerate that kind of behavior, President David Schmidly said.
"It's inexcusable to desecrate a flag," he said. "I'm not going to be very pleasant to deal with on this issue."
What makes the situation worse is that it was a Mexican flag, Schmidly said.
"For God's sake, New Mexico was part of Mexico at one time," he said. "There's tremendous ties, and we have a large population of Hispanics that live in our state and many of them have relatives and connections to Mexico."
Maybe in some parts you’d be looking down the barrel of a shot gun, but not here in the burbs - lest you’re in compton or south central L.A. It’s not trespassing - otherwise I’d be suing for trespassing everytime they put one of those stupid fliers on my porch! The grass where the sidewalk is is public property, in the very least.
This is really, truly, unequivocally, undeniably, unmistakably, Peter Lynch… at this point I am not sure what anyone can do to help. I do know I love this country and our flag. I appreciate the support you are all offering. I will wait to see if the University drops the criminal charges. The University is pressing charges for the damage to the flag. This flag flew for three days unaccompanied. Nobody is apologizing for insulting OUR country, on OUR holiday? If I am not charged with a crime I won’t bring suit against anyone, this is too big for me, I just want to go to school in my country without being insulted. That is what this was an insult to my country, which went on for three days. I’m sorry, but I need to watch my words… I want to say more but know that I should not.
Without money for legal counsel, don’t you think the ACLU might just help here? I have American civil liberty to go to a Pubic institution without having my country insulted.
All that it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing:
Well Peter, you are in for a tough road. Have your lawyer annouce a legal defense fund set up at a bank or a website and post that news article here. You WILL get help. FReepers are generous.
Thanks for the ping.
I think we need to be careful what kind of advice we give here. I would also be careful what you say in private responses via freepmail, since that will be open to subpoena if this threatens to go to court.
As I said earlier, what troubles me about this business is the one-sided treatment of a political act. If a leftist burns or destroys an American flag, that is “symbolic speech,” and therefore, according to SCOTUS, is constitutionally protected. But if a conservative patriot takes down a Mexican flag that is being flaunted on campus, that is “hate speech,” not “symbolic speech.”
What’s the difference between these actions, other than the indefensible conviction that all leftist actions are good, and all conservative actions are bad; or that it’s good to attack your country but bad to defend it?
What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. I can’t imagine a university president today attacking a leftist for tearing down an American flag the way this president is said to have attacked this action.
L
“Nobody is apologizing for insulting OUR country, on OUR holiday?”
We are all VERY proud of you for defending our flag and country.
I wish our “leaders” had one tenth your courage and patriotism.
Thank you!
Destroying other people’s property is wrong. When that property is an offense against our nation destroying it is not wrong...going by the rules of all other sovereign republics.
We’ve been having an undeclared war with Mexico for nearly twenty years yet very few politicians will even acknowledge it. They started it by using our country as their welfare state, social security solution, dump site for their criminals and criminally insane. Proof of the oozing corruption is apparent in the convictions of Ramos and Campean while Democrat judges are trampling all over citizens’ mandates all over America.
There are ten bridges across the Rio Grande that no one seems to know who built them. Weirder still, no one in the governments there questions it nor moves to dismantle them. Those foot bridges aren’t even monitored.
I will be posting my reply tomorrow night stay tuned!
...”PETER FOR PREZ IN 2008”
“I will be posting my reply tomorrow night stay tuned!”
Well, we could certainly use more people like you in public service to our country.
We look forward to further posts and updates on your situation.
My fellow Americans,
My name is Peter Ryan Lynch; I am a student at UNM. I am a decorated 8-year veteran of the US military, honorably discharge this July. I am appalled a foreign banner flew unaccompanied on UNM campus flagpole for three days, including a US holiday. I am an American passionate about our country and I would feel the same way if it were ANY foreign banner.
The Mexican flag was flying over UNM campus unaccompanied by an American flag on U.S. Constitution Day 17 September 2007.
According to United States Code (Federal Law):
“The flag should be displayed on all days especially on… Constitution Day, September 17….”
“The flag should be displayed daily on or near the main administration building of every public institution.”
“The flag should be displayed during school days in or near every schoolhouse.”
Throughout history, flying a nation’s banner is a claim of ownership. To do this on U.S. Constitution Day is an insult to all Americans. I am outraged that UNM administration allowed this happen. I thought before my class was over they would address the issue. I left class, and the foreign banner was still unaccompanied. I went to the dean’s office, pleading for action. I also notified Army ROTC, who has the honor of raising and lowering the US flag on UNM campus this month. I waited one and one half-hours after these notifications to take action myself. I made a profound statement and tore down this foreign banner. My actions although overzealous, are warranted.
Americans have one of the most diverse cultures on the planet, we embrace our differences, and unless you are a foreign visitor or illegal immigrant then your nationality is American! We are all equals under the Constitution and Stars and Stripes that protect us. Americans should fly their historical nations’ banners with pride. UNM is a public institution, governed by the laws of our nation, and on 17 September 2007, Federal law was broken; American’s are insulted. I am livid, with all the press coverage, only Julian “Top” Martinez said anything in my defense. Furthermore, the press has a responsibility to gather all the facts before printing.
I would like to assure El Centro de la Raza that hate or racism did not motivate my actions. I ask UNM administration specifically, David Schmidly (University President), Rita Martinez-Purson (Interim Vice President for Academic Diversity), and Cheo Torres (Vice President for Academic Affairs), to apologize to all the American Students, including Mexican-American students, for allowing a foreign banner to fly over UNM for three days in violation of Federal laws.
Sincerely,
Peter Ryan Lynch
You are a hero in my opinion!
I am facing Criminal Charges if anyone wants to check out the Governor Bill Richardson’s MySpace page and send him an email?
The state of New Mexico is charging me with Criminal Damage...
Well I suppose if you want to view the sitution in such a narrow scope, yes it is true what you said. The situation though is that the student could not see it in such a narrow scope, and that the University won’t settle for it to seen in that same narrow scope! Mr. Lynch is going to get really smeared over this one!
Ping for later reading
I'm not a lawyer, but I think that's the danger--damaging someone else's property. They talk big about racism or hate crimes, but that's the vulnerable point.
I won't suggest how you should respond to it, but if I can think of several possibilities, I should think a good lawyer could think of more, not all of which would involve going to trial.
I should think that the damage to property charge would be limited by the monetary value of the flag, making it a misdemeanor at most. There are a large number of American flag burning cases on record, I'm sure, and it would be interesting to know how many involved other people's property and what the outcomes of those cases were.
In any case, you have my sympathy for taking action against this deliberately provocative encroachment by foreigners against the university and country that gave them hospitality.
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