Photo: Getty Images
Charges made against a white woman who spat on a Black woman during competing protests in 2021 have been dismissed.
On Friday (July 21), a judge dismissed hate crime and other charges against Yuliya Gilshteyn, who was protesting mandatory childhood vaccinations and COVID-19 masking requirements at the Connecticut state Capitol on January 6, 2021.
While at the Capitol, Gilshteyn crossed paths with Keren Prescott, who was taking part in a Black Lives Matter demonstration. The two came face-to-face at one point during the demonstration when Prescott said she and others were chanting “Black Lives Matter.” She told the court, Gilshteyn replied to their chants with “All lives matter” and “Black lives don’t matter.”
Prescott, who was wearing a face mask, said she then told Gilshteyn to back up because she wasn’t wearing a mask. Gilshteyn then spat in her face and fled the scene.
Gilshteyn had faced charges including deprivation of rights (a hate crime) but was granted a special probation program, known as “accelerated rehabilitation," that allows first-time offenders to avoid a criminal record. While Hartford Superior Court Judge Sheila Prats called the incident “despicable," she said Gilshteyn still qualified for the probation program, as reported by NBC News.
Prescott said Friday's outcome was like “being spit on once again." She added, per the outlet, "The justice system has failed me."
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