Lore Blumenthal, a 35-year-old Jenkintown woman, has been sentenced for lighting police cars on fire during the George Floyd protests of 2020. Blumenthal is one of six protestors who are being held responsible for crimes committed during the civil unrest that occurred in Philadelphia after George Floyd’s murder.
Initially charged with arson, Blumenthal’s conviction has been downgraded to two counts of obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder. She was then sentenced to two and a half years in prison. However, since she has served two years in detention since her 2020 arrest, she’ll likely be released sometime this year.
Additionally, Blumenthal was sentenced to two years probation and must pay restitution in excess of $90,000.
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In response to Blumenthal’s crimes, former U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain asserted that arson is by no means a form of peaceful protest. He also went on to say, “It is a violent and despicable act that will be prosecuted in this district to the fullest extent of the law.”
Blumenthal can be seen wearing protective eyewear and flame-resistant gloves in a video of the George Floyd protests on social media. The video shows her using a piece of police barricade that had caught ablaze to ignite a police sedan and SUV. Both vehicles were completely destroyed in the blaze.
According to court documents, the FBI used the video to track down Blumenthal, who was identified by a distinctive peace sign tattoo and a piece of clothing that Federal agents traced back to her online Etsy account.
Blumenthal wasn’t the only individual sentenced for lighting police cars on fire during the George Floyd protests. Ayoub Tabri, 25, of Arlington, Virginia, has been sentenced to a year of imprisonment and fined $87,000.
While the murder of George Floyd, a black man, by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, was a disgusting display of racial injustice and unfair treatment from law enforcement, the actions of Blumenthal, Tabri, and other violent protestors are unacceptable.
In response to the Jenkintown woman’s sentencing, Jacqueline C. Romero, a U.S. attorney, reminds us that although we saw a historic assembly of peaceful protestors, those who chose to commit violence have “robbed taxpayer-funded resources from the mission of protecting the public.”
