A man from Illinois is convicted of hate crimes after harassing a woman for wearing a Puerto Rico flag shirt



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A jury found Timothy G. Trybus guilty of two counts of hate-motivated crime on Wednesday, said Cook's county attorney at WLS, affiliated with CNN.

Trybus was filmed on June 14, 2018 to reprimand Mia Irizarry in a park in northwestern Chicago. At the time, his lawyer told his client that six clients had been abducted the day before the incident and that he was under the influence of pain medication.

Irizarry said she was celebrating her 24th birthday at Caldwell Woods Park when the man approached her and asked her why she was wearing the shirt. In addition to the flag, "Puerto Rico" was inscribed under the neckline.

In the video, Irizarry asks for help while the man harasses her and claims that her shirt is anti-American.

"You should not bring that to the United States of America," he says. He gets closer to her and asks, "Are you a citizen? Are you a citizen of the United States?"

Irizarry points out that Puerto Rico is part of the United States and that man is approaching it many times. She asks a park policeman to help her.

An officer initially seems to ignore the pleas. Irizarry recorded the meeting on her phone, saying that she felt threatened, and posted the video on Facebook.

The man continues his aggression saying, "You're not an American, if you were an American you would not wear it, you know, do not you?"

Puerto Rico is an American Commonwealth. Puerto Ricans have been US citizens since 1917. Those living in Puerto Rico can vote in the US presidential primaries, but not in the presidential elections. Puerto Ricans who live and register in the continental United States may, however, vote in both cases.

Cook County Commissioner Jesús García had called for hate crime charges against Trybus.

"A charge for simple aggression or disorderly behavior is not enough," García said at the time. "We can not allow this ugly rhetoric to be the norm in Cook County."

Trybus' link has been revoked and will be sentenced on October 21st.

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