UNITED STATES ARMY VETERAN ARRESTED OVER "DEFACED" UKRAINIAN FLAG BY CHARLESTON, SC MAYOR
Guest Column
“Tremendous Sentimental Value”
That is how the Democrat Mayor of Charleston described a 3 x 5 nylon Ukrainian Flag, covered in writing, hung from the front of City Hall in Charleston, South Carolina. The small scribble covered flag was hung next to a massive 8 x 10 Ukrainian flag which as decorated the front of Charleston City Hall off-and-on for more than a year. Regardless of your position on the hundreds of billions of American Tax Payer Dollars being poured into the corrupt Eastern European Oligarchy we call Ukraine, most Americans agree that the flags of foreign governments (particularly those who do not share our American Democratic Principals) should not hang from the front of any American government building.
This was the opinion of Charleston resident, United States Army Veteran, and Gay Conservative James Bessenger when he wrote a long letter to Charleston City Council in June 2022, pointing out the hypocrisy in the city’s decision to display a large Ukrainian Flag from City Hall during the City’s “Pride Month” celebration.
“Due to the lack of LGBT representation on City Council you may all may not be aware of the situation members of our community face in Ukraine at the hands of their own leaders”, the Veteran wrote. “LGBT citizens of Ukraine have nothing like the sort of acceptance and legal protection that is afforded to Americans of the same community." Bessenger went on. “Abuses by the Ukrainian government haven’t just extended to members of our community however. President Zelenskyy of Ukraine has in recent months outlawed opposition political parties in the nation, thrown his own political opponents in prison, and outlawed religious denominations of which he does not belong. This is not the sort of behavior the City of Charleston should be co-sponsoring”.
Within days of Bessengers letter the large Ukrainian Flag suddenly vanished from the front of City Hall and remained gone for several months before reappearing.
Fast forward to February of 2023, hundreds of billions of dollars to Ukraine later, and Zelenskyy has addressed the U.S. Congress and threatened Americans would “Bleed” if they failed to support Ukraine. On Sunday February 26th, two days after the anniversary of Russia’s direct involvement in the Ukrainian conflict which began in 2014, Bessenger took his dog for a walk in downtown Charleston, and to meet his husband, an immigrant born in the former Soviet Union. As he drove past City Hall Bessenger noticed that the massive Ukrainian Flag hanging from he balcony of City Hall had been joined by a small 3x5 Ukrainian flag, the sort one would hang from their home or flag pole ($7.99 on Amazon as of the time of this writing). Upon passing by Bessenger could tell the smaller flag appeared to be covered in permanant marker, with indistinct black lines covering the flag in various places. Curious why City Hall was now decorated for Ukrainain Independence Day, Bessenger decided to put up a display of his own.
Bessengers initial plan was to drap his own 8x10 Rainbow Flag over the massive Ukraian Flag and zip-tie it to the rails which held the two already decorating the building. Upon discovering no zip-ties in his trunk, Bessenger decided to carry a sharpie with him. After allowing his dog to relieve herself in Washington Park and depositing the waste in a trash can, Bessenger made his way to the front of City Hall. There he found that the smaller Ukrainian Flag was covered top to bottom in handwriting in permanant marker. Covered illegible signatures, symbols, numbers and other writing, the Flag looked as though it was strung up by an activist, claiming City Hall for their own, despite City Laws which prohibit private citizens from hanging anything from government buildings (see Charleston City Ordinance 21-86 Defacing Public Property). Bessenger claims he took the sharpie out of his pocket, set a signature of his own to the flag, and returned with his dog to the car.
On March 10th Bessenger was notified by his attorney that a warrent had been issued for his arrest for “Malicious Destruction of Private Property Less than $10,000.00”, a felony charge that carries a maximum prison sentence of ten years. Bessenger made arrangements to turn himself in to Charleston Police the following day and spent the evening assuring his Soviet-Born husband he would not be “disappeared” as a political prisoner in the Soviet Style he’d grown up to fear. At 7am on March 11th Bessenger presented himself at the Police Station on Lockwood Blvd was belted, cuffed, and placed in holding. The charges officially levied against the disabled veteran were “Damage to Personal Property Less Than $2,000.00”, a misdemeanor carrying a maximum jail sentence of 30 days. How or why the charges were reduced remains unclear, but attorneys working with Bessenger speculate the charge was reduced in an effort to keep the case in a City Court which would allow the City Government to exert maximum pressure on the outcome
. According to the affidavit written by Charleston Police Officer Neil R. Sneath, dated March 9, 2023, “City Hall displayed the flag on the steps of 80 Broad Street after an event on the evening of February 24th. Sometime between this event and March 1st, 2023 ‘FASCISTS’ was written in marker across the top of the flag.” Charleston Police accuse Bessenger of writing the word “Fascists”. The affidavit went on, saying “The Ukrainian Flag holds tremendous sentimental value to the residents of the City of Charleston”. Charleston police claim the flag has sentimental value to the entirety of the population of Charleston, despite a local media report claiming the flag was given as a gift to Mayor Tecklenburg, which is presumably why the charge is for destruction of “personal property” rather than “government property”, as would have been the case if the flag belonged to the City.
Bessenger’s alleged actions took place around 9:30 am on a Sunday morning in downtown Charleston. For those of you not familiar with Charleston, South Carolina, the intersection of Broad Street and Meeting Street where City Hall is located is quite busy and full of life on a beautiful Sunday morning as it was on February 26th, the day Bessenger allegedly defaced the flag. The affidavit presented by Charleston Police claims that an unnamed witness watched Bessenger sign the flag, indicating he was not attempting to be secretive or sly. In media reports since the incident Bessenger has said that he believed the flag to be available for signature, which would make perfect sense considering it was hung from the Citys Primary Public Forum and was already covered in writing. What does it say about the state of our nation when a cheap foreign flag is given more consideration and protection than our own wounded veterans.
Lets be clear. No foreign governments flag should ever be flown from an American governmental building, particularly not the flag of a nation which so grossly violates our own standards, beliefs, principals, and values. Despite mainstream media propaganda, Ukraine is not a Western Democracy but instead fits in perfectly with the Oligarchies of Eastern Europe. Few nations have a reputation for corruption that could rival Ukraine, and western media seems to have completely forgotten about its 2014 coverage of what CNN called a “Nazi and Far-Right Takeover" of Ukraine. American politicians pump money hand-over-fist into Ukraine while Americans of every demographic watch their standard of life plumet, their savings wither, their businesses fail, and their country deteriorate. Local leaders like Mayor John Tecklenburg of Charleston add insult to injury by propping up Ukraine over his own residents. Homelessness and Crime have skyrocketed in Charleston as it has across the nation.
We now live in a nation that punishes its veterans for speaking up for the people of the United States over foreign nations.
“The soldiers creed is something beaten into you when you enlist in the army” Bessenger said. “It includes lines which say ‘I serve the people of the United States’ and ‘I am a guardian of the American Way of Life’. I took those very seriously, and I’m not willing to see my own people suffer while our leaders prop of the government of another”
Read the half-baked arrest report below:
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