Kalvinn Garcia, 26, of Seattle was sent to four years of prison after he pled guilty to charges in connection to his attempt to burn down an LGBTQ+ nightclub and bar called Queer/Bar.
According to the Justice Department, he admitted to setting fire to a dumpster in the alley behind Queer/Bar on February 24, 2020. Police showed up quickly, and Garcia told an officer that he hated the word “queer” and that the bar’s sign made him angry.
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“I think it’s wrong that we have a bunch of queers in our society,” he told the officer. He then, according to prosecutors, told someone a few weeks later that he wanted the people in the Queer/Bar to be trapped inside and hurt during the fire.
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Garcia pled guilty to a federal arson charge with a hate crimes enhancement and was sentenced to 48 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
“Mr. Garcia endangered the lives of more than 100 people because of his hatred for members of our LGBTQI+ community,” acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman said in a statement. “We work diligently with our federal, state and local partners to investigate and prosecute acts of hatred against people because of their sexuality or gender identity. This work is a priority because the effect of these hate crimes can linger in communities and traumatize the members of the targeted community for weeks, months, or years after.”
“No person in the United States should fear for their safety based on their sexual orientation or gender identity,” said FBI Special Agent Richard A. Collodi. “I am proud of the continued work of the FBI and our partners in protecting the civil rights of all people.”