Teenagers Could Face YEARS in Jail Over Making Skid Marks

(NationRise.com) – Three teenagers are facing potentially years-long prison sentences over skid marks left on a rainbow-colored sidewalk in Washington.

Ruslan Turko, 19, was accompanied by two minors when they allegedly rented scooters so they could leave marks on a crossing that had been painted to appease the LGBT crowd. Witnesses also say the boys yelled anti-LGBT slurs at the homosexual customers of a nearby bar. They were arrested for the incident in early June and are now facing potential first-degree charges of malicious mischief with a possible hate crime component.

If convicted, the teens could be facing up to five years of imprisonment. They may also have to pay $10,000 in fines each. However, the actual extent of their punishments will depend on whether a state law targeting acts of vandalism committed as acts of hatred will be applied. The law was passed on June 6th, one day after the boys were arrested.

The area has a history of being targeted. Just two months prior to the skid marking event, another driver vandalized the same intersection. That incident came shortly after it was repainted following an act of vandalism that occurred in October 2023. It was also set ablaze late at night on May 16th. The intersection has been vandalized so many times by scooter streaks that Lime, a company that rents electric scooters in metro areas, said it will designate the area a “No Ride Zone.”

Less than a week after the boys were arrested, someone else splashed white and yellow paint on the mural. Officials had just repainted it again ahead of Spokane’s Gay Pride Parade scheduled for that weekend. Police said they were investigating the issue but would no longer discuss incidents in the hopes of preventing future acts.

Polls show that Americans have become fatigued with the ever-expanding and increasingly expensive efforts to appease the LGBT community. A study conducted in March 2024 showed that support actually declined slightly for the first time in several years. That decline followed decades of increased support.