One of the great things about America is our freedom to protest. That right does not include physical destruction of private property. Whoever did this to Congressman Rick O’Donnell’s headquarters, presumably in protest of President Bush’s visit, needs to learn a lesson. Legitimate protest includes the spoken word, the written word, signs, costumes, whatever you think best tells your story or sells your message. It does not include spray painting other people’s property and putting nails out to give people flat tires. That’s called criminal mischief. 18-4-501. Criminal mischief.

1) Any person who knowingly damages the real or personal property of one or more other persons, including property owned by the person jointly with another person or property owned by the person in which another person has a possessory or proprietary interest, in the course of a single criminal episode commits a class 3 misdemeanor where the aggregate damage to the real or personal property is less than one hundred dollars. Where the aggregate damage to the real or personal property is one hundred dollars or more but less than five hundred dollars, such person commits a class 2 misdemeanor. Where the aggregate damage to the real or personal property is five hundred dollars or more but less than fifteen thousand dollars, such person commits a class 4 felony. Where the aggregate damage to the real or personal property is fifteen thousand dollars or more, such person commits a class 3 felony., defacement of property and criminal trespassing.