A Satanic Temple display inside the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines was destroyed, and a former U.S. Navy fighter pilot who was recently defeated in a statehouse election in Mississippi is accused of causing the damage.
The display is permitted by rules that govern religious installations inside the Capitol but has drawn criticism from many conservatives, including presidential candidate Ron DeSantis. A Facebook posting by The Satanic Temple on Thursday said the display, known as a Baphomet statue, “was destroyed beyond repair,” though part of it remains.
Michael Cassidy, 35, of Lauderdale, Mississippi, was charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief, the Iowa Department of Public Safety said Friday. He was released after his arrest.
Cassidy is a Republican who was defeated by Democrat Keith Jackson in Mississippi State House District 45 in November.
Driving through Mississippi tomorrow! Beautiful state, but the people are even more beautiful.
Drive the Southern back highways on the regular. Never seen black and white folks so truly loving to one another.
First interracial church ceremony I ever attended? You guessed it. Mississippi. Lord, had to drive 20-miles of dirt roads to get there. (Little fruity to me, but that’s religion for ya.)
Stop in a random backwoods gas station? Everyone’s cool. I don’t mean ignoring everyone cool, like the Yanks do, I mean people laughing and hugging and talking kinda cool. “CARL! What’s up man?! Haven’t seen you in a minute! Wife OK after $Thing?”
First day in the South, a black woman was looking for directions at the convenience store. Redneck white guy pulled her aside, lost his place in line, gave her simple and easy directions, looked her in the eye, made her repeat it back, made sure she understood before they parted. Thought, “Wow. That would have never happened in Chicagoland.”
And yes, as a middle-aged white guy, I sometimes get side-eye from black folks. But it ain’t like it was 20-years ago. I see people anxious to not be labelled racist. People black and white, old and young. We are done with the hate. We want to move on. And we’re doing our damndest.
My wife is Filipina. No one blinks in MS. No one gives a shit. I’d be stunned if she was treated any differently.
Mississippi got some work to do to pull up, but fuck the internet haters. Buncha children that haven’t been down here, repeating memes, been told who to hate. Funny ain’t it? I thought only the white racists told us who to hate?
I’m sure black and white people are cool with each other in some parts of Mississippi, but your painting of the place as a racially harmonious state where black and white people are treated as equals runs counter to reality. There’s a reason Jackson isn’t allowed to run their own police department and it isn’t racial harmony.