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Bryton Mellott,
22, was charged with flag desecration and disorderly conduct
when he was arrested in Urbana, Illinois, on Monday. Police had
received complaints after Mellott posted the photo on his
Facebook page. They also received calls expressing concern for
Mellott's safety.
In addition, police said they received threats against Mellott's
place of employment, a Walmart store, which raised concerns
about the safety of others.
Mellott said in the original post that he was not proud to be an
American, local media said. "In this moment, being proud of my
country is to ignore the atrocities committed against people of
color, people living in poverty, people who identify as women,
and against my own queer community on a daily basis," he said in
the post, which appears to have since been deleted.
“The State’s Attorney’s Office is declining to file charges
against (Bryton) Mellott as the act of burning a flag is
protected free speech according to the U.S. Supreme Court
decision, Texas v. Johnson, 491 US 397 (1989),” Champaign County
State’s Attorney Julia Rietz said in a statement on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Justin Madden in Chicago; Editing by Matthew
Lewis)
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