A Utah teenager has been charged with a hate crime after allegedly trampling and crumpling a sign in support of police, The Washington Post reports.
Garfield County Sheriff’s Deputy Kree Carter said in a statement that he saw the teenager take the sign and step on it while stopping at a gas station.
Back the Blue is a slogan demonstrating solidarity with the country’s law enforcement agencies. It is also often used in opposition to the slogan Black Lives Matter.
The teenager, identified as 19-year-old Lauren Gibson, allegedly crushed the sign in a «destructive way» and began to «intimidatingly» grin at Carter, according to the officer’s statement. Carter then arrested Gibson and charged her with aggravated hooliganism.
In an interview with the Daily Beast, Gibson said she was shocked by the accusations against her-saying that her actions were a reaction to Carter’s aggressive behavior towards her friend.
«I just wanted, I don’t know, to help her feel better or something like that, to stand up for her,» she said.
In a statement, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Utah said that it is «concerned and disappointed» by Gibson’s arrest, which sends a «frightening signal» about the intention of law enforcement agencies to seek harsher penalties for those who disagree with the actions of the police.
