We have now reached the stage of the campaign where people are more likely to put bumper stickers on cars and yard signs expressing their support.
While it’s expected that there might be some under-their-breath grumbling from neighbors and some fairly colorful language being yelled from people driving by in their vehicles, what’s not expected nor acceptable is when people take their reactions to the extreme.
This is exactly what happened to Raleigh, North Carolina resident John Kane. He had a prominent “Trump Won” sign in his yard until about a week ago, when a bicyclist, out of control, decided to burn it.
Below are some video clips. The first video shows the man who kicked the sign in August, and the second is presumably of the same person lighting the sign three days later, early in the morning, possibly assuming wrongly that Kane wasn’t pointing a camera directly at him. The guy moved the American flag to the side in an apparent attempt to prevent it from catching fire.
The third clip at the end of the video appears to show that same person in February performing the same act.
Raleigh, North Carolina. Deranged liberal sets fire to a Trump 2024 yard sign.
Identify this biker and put him in jail. pic.twitter.com/dd7hRdUqr7
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) August 19, 2023
James Lawrence, Kane’s former Trump HHS Deputy general counsel, has promised that justice will be served.
Lawrence wrote: “Accountability is coming, regardless of what Wake County District Attorney’s Office does with this video.” “@Johnmkane1776 has hired me to file a suit against this productivist, once his identity is known.”
The alleged perp was identified by Internet sleuths who analyzed the Strava bike tracking app he allegedly used, and charges are expected to be filed in Wake County.
Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman announced Monday that a man who was seen on home surveillance video lighting a political yard sign on fire last Thursday will be charged with misdemeanors.
Freeman said to The News & Observer in an interview on Monday that her office is in the process of serving two misdemeanor counts of injury to real estate against the man in the video. Raleigh Police Department spokesperson said on Monday morning that the department was aware of these incidents and is investigating them.
The DA’s Office also refused to identify the man until he was served with charges.
Kane tweeted that Lawrence is in the process of filing a civil suit against the alleged perpetrator, which you can read here.
Lawrence tweeted the video Kane had shared on why these incidents were important and shouldn’t have been taken lightly, considering that his yard and home where he lives with his family could also have burnt down. The attorney correctly stated that Raleigh, like Charlotte where the author lives, is not the place they grew up in.
Proud to represent my fellow Raleigh native @johnmkane1776 who has decided to take a stand.
This isn’t the same city John and I grew up in, with easy-going people and sweet tea.
Raleigh is our hometown—not some some remake of Seattle. Charred political signs don’t belong here. https://t.co/F8ClOyxjGL
— James R. Lawrence III (@jlawrencenc) August 21, 2023
This is not the first time this kind of thing has happened in America, and it will not be the last. But hopefully, the publicity generated by this case and Kane’s actions, and his pursuit of charges, will make other people think twice about doing dangerous stunts that could lead to death. No matter if you agree with his views on the 2020 elections or not, this kind of thing should not happen.
