Santa Ynez Valley Men Who Stole, Burned Pride Flags Ordered to 12-Month Diversion Program

The two Santa Ynez Valley men each charged with petty theft and a hate crime for stealing two pride flags and burning one on Snapchat have been ordered to attend a year-long diversion program. 

The terms of the program include 80 hours of community service with a nonprofit that serves the LGBTQ community, as well as one-to-one anti-bias education through the Museum of Tolerance. 

The two men ― Avi Williams and Joshua Eligino, recent graduates of Santa Ynez Valley Union High School ― must also write letters of apology to St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church, where the flags were stolen. The pair had no prior criminal history and will not serve any jail time.

The incident took place in the summer of 2022, shortly after the inaugural S.Y.V. Pride Parade & Festival was held.

“Today felt like a small step toward justice,” said the organization Santa Ynez Valley Pride in a statement after the recent hearing. The group had consulted with the District Attorney’s Office about the terms of the sentence, it said.

“At S.Y.V. Pride, we believe in accountability, justice, education, and repair, and hope that the sentencing will reflect a layered approach of these values,” the organization said. “We believe that hate is taught and that it is up to each of us to dismantle systems that seek to ‘other’ people different than ourselves, that weaponize religion in order to judge and condemn others, and that attempt to build walls instead of bridges.”

Nearly seven months passed between the incident and when Williams and Eligino were formally charged. Rev. Randall Day, then rector of St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church, said at the time that while some people “may wish the matter had been swept under the rug,” he saw the announcement of criminal charges as one “for all of us to get more clear about public accountability.”

“It is incredibly important for them to understand that there are consequences to damaging actions,” Day said of the pair. “Their actions negatively impacted other individuals and whole communities of people, families, children — their neighbors. … I hope this is an experience of growth for these young men that helps them realize more constructive paths of living and self-expression in the future.”

The announcement last March coincided with the disclosure that a sitting member of the Solvang City Council had referred to LGBTQ residents and their supporters as “clowns,” “assholes,” and “woke poison,” among other names. 

Also that month, administrators at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School broke an agreement with a campus pride group by painting over rainbow crosswalks, calling the temporary art installation too “politicized” and part of an “outside agenda.”

Williams and Eligino are scheduled for a hearing in July on the progress of their diversion program.