SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Police in Texas say they have arrested a 30-year-old man who was captured on video throwing a drink at a supporter of President Donald Trump before walking off with the teenager’s “Make America Great Again” hat at a fast food restaurant.
San Antonio police say Kino Jimenez was arrested Thursday. Police arrested him for theft in connection to the confrontation that was reported to police Wednesday. The incident was partially captured in a posted video that has since attracted attention online.
Sixteen-year-old Hunter Richard told the San Antonio Express-News that the man approached his table and ripped off his hat. The teenager said the man threw a drink in his face before walking away with the hat.
Court records didn’t list an attorney for Jimenez.
There are many acts of civil disobedience that are worth getting arrested for.
This is not one of them.
There’s going to be a big price increase of the imported fire starters from China …
I heard … on the internet —
All hell may break loose —
If an alt-right a-hole or other Trump supporter did the same thing to an Obama or Hillary fan, the cops would have tracked down the perp and given him a high-five.
At first I wanted to say this guy was taking a bad approach. He assaulted someone, albeit in the just about the least damaging way imaginable. He stole property. He swore at the guy and made himself look bad in the video. He intimidated a smaller person.
But then I look at the guy’s Latino name. I realize that as a Jew, if someone wore a swastika hat in a restaurant, I would hope for the courage to do what this guy did. There are some symbols that are beyond the pale. Ultimately, I cannot tell that man that his offense at the MAGA hat is less justifiable than mine at the hypothetical swastika hat. MAGA means immigrant crime lists, kidnapping children, and the president of the United States stoking fear and hatred of Latinos and immigrants.
One can easily criticize this man’s tactics. It wasn’t worth getting arrested for, and he isn’t going to win any converts. But I won’t tell him he did the wrong thing. I won’t criticize a man who stands up against aggressive bigotry, even in the form of a hat.
As a football fan who watched the Raiders in the 60’s, it’s always the guy who responds to the garbage talk that gets the flag.
The punks will feel vindicated for their racist talk. And their folks will pat them on the head and send them to the store to buy MAGA hats for one and all.