Teen sentenced for leaving burnout marks on LGBT progress pride mural
A Florida judge sentenced a 19-year-old to two years of probation for leaving burnout marks on an LGBT progress pride mural. The court also revoked his driver’s license for one year, assessing a financial penalty and ordering additional requirements as part of his sentence.
Palm Beach County Judge Daliah Weiss delivered the sentence in a Delray Beach courtroom, issuing two years of probation for Dylan Brewer, of Clearwater, The Post Millennial reported.
Brewer pleaded guilty to reckless driving and criminal mischief after deliberately marking a rainbow mural with tire burnout tracks, according to court documents.
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The judge further revoked Brewer’s driver’s license for one year, ordered him to pay $5,568.71 to the city, serve 150 hours of community service, and undergo eight hours of anger management classes.
Palm Beach County Human Rights Council founder Rand Hoch, whose organization helped fund the $17,000 crosswalk, addressed the courtroom last week, saying Brewer had “committed a crime against our community, the LGBTQ community.”
Hoch described the incident as a repeated act of vandalism, telling Judge Weiss that Brewer “went through the intersection not once, not twice, but three times in a retrofitted vehicle that caused great damage.”
The crosswalk depicts traditional rainbow colors as well as pink, white, and blue for transgender individuals, plus black and brown. The Human Rights Council and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation jointly financed its painting.
Brewer acknowledged responsibility for the incident during his appearance before Judge Weiss, stating, “It was not my intention to cause any harm outside of having some fun with friends.” He added, “I do realize now the harm that was caused afterwards towards the community, and I’m very sorry for my actions and putting my family and the court through this.”
Before the sentence was handed down, he apologized once more for “a lot of setback, if you would say, towards their community.”
Hoch was dissatisfied with the plea deal, saying the outcome would do little to dissuade similar acts directed at LGBTQ individuals.
A legal defense fundraiser for Brewer had gathered $28,265. The online campaign was hosted by GiveSendGo, and organizers described the case as involving constitutional concerns.
The fundraiser page said, “This fund not only supports Brewer’s legal defense but also champions the fundamental American values of freedom of expression and the right to a fair trial.”
Security footage showed a truck leaving tire burnout marks in the early morning.
Anthony Sabatini, a Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives at the time, labeled Brewer a “political prisoner” on X and urged Florida’s governor to pardon what he termed a “fake crime.” Pool also indicated that Brewer’s prosecution appeared politically charged, telling his audience, “There is no circumstance, none, where anyone else anywhere burned out as they made a left turn and were pulled over and arrested and charged with a felony for it.”
Pool stated that in a typical scenario, the matter would warrant a small ticket rather than a felony charge. “It’s a blasphemy law,” he said on his podcast, adding, “They are upset over his blasphemy.”
He said Delray Beach authorities were punishing Brewer for “not supporting or endorsing LGBT ideology.”
