Man accused of calling Biden supporter ‘dirty Jew’ dodges hate crime

A 49-year-old Mequon man accused of ripping down a Joe Biden for president sign in his neighbor’s yard, then calling the homeowner a “dirty Jew,” is guilty of disorderly conduct but not a hate crime.

Ozaukee County prosecutors who charged Gregory C. Kirst in August amended the criminal complaint last week to remove the hate crime enhancer in exchange for Kirst’s guilty plea to the misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge.

At 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 30, police were called to the home with the Biden sign in the yard and the woman who lives there told them that Kirst, who lives across the street, walked into her yard, took down her Biden sign and threw it to the ground, the complaint states.

The woman said she yelled at the man through her screen door, telling him to leave her property and that as an American she has the right to express her beliefs. She said Kirst responded by swearing at her and flipping her off. The woman said she was worried about her safety and concerned because Kirst had his young daughter with him, according to the complaint.

The woman’s husband then walked outside and told Kirst to leave his yard. That, he said, is when Kirst made his comments about “Jews” and said they were to blame for the riots in Portland, Ore.

Kirst eventually went back to his house, where he used a large piece of cloth to create a “Jews for Trump” sign that he put on his front lawn, according to the criminal complaint.

An officer went to Kirst’s house, but Kirst refused to leave the house and spoke to the officer through a screen door. Kirst denied going into his neighbor’s yard and removing the sign.

The officer eventually decided he was going to arrest Kirst, but Kirst refused to come outside. Ultimately another neighbor convinced Kirst to leave his house, the complaint states.

In a victim impact statement filed with the court last week, the woman who lives in the house with the Biden sign wrote that she is afraid of Kirst, calling him a “frightening individual,” and adding that she is “sad and appalled that he called us ‘dirty Jews.’”

During last week’s hearing, Ozaukee County Circuit Judge Sandy Williams withheld a jail sentence and placed Kirst on probation for a year. As conditions of his probation, she ordered him to maintain absolute sobriety, attend anger management counseling and participate in any treatment deemed necessary.