HOA tells disabled veteran to take down 'political' Thin Blue Line flag he flies in honor of his police chief son, who was fatally shot while responding to call



An Ohio homeowners association has ordered a disabled military veteran to take down a Thin Blue Line flag he flies in his Etna front yard in honor of his police chief son, who was fatally shot five years ago while answering a call.

Thomas DiSario received a letter Monday from Omni Community Association Managers saying the "political sign in the form of a flag must be removed from your property," WCMH-TV reported.

What are the details?

DiSario has been flying the Thin Blue Line flag in his front yard ever since his son Steven Eric DiSario — at the time the newly appointed Kirkersville police chief — was gunned down May 12, 2017, the station said.

DiSario's son was only 38 years old and a father of six — with a seventh on the way — when he was killed, WCMH said.

"He was shot and murdered as he got [to the crime scene]," DiSario recalled to the station regarding his son. "So he didn’t even know it was coming."

Adding a deeper cut was the poor timing of the HOA letter: DiSario received it at the start of National Police Week, which honors officers who have given their lives in the line of duty.

What's more, DiSario — who needs oxygen after being exposed to sarin gas during Operation Desert Storm — on Saturday had to deal with a trespasser who went after both the Thin Blue Line flag and the American flag that flies above it, WCMH said.

Image source: WCMH-TV video screenshot

“I had a gentleman come in my yard, lower the flags, and [he] wiped his face on them,” DiSario told the station. “I, in turn, asked him to leave. He would not, and I put him out of my yard. He came back … sat on my rock, then he proceeded to get up and take the flags down again, and I stopped him and put him out of my yard.”

WCMH said DiSario soon called the Licking County sheriff’s office, but the responding deputy was unable to find the culprit.

'A political statement'

The HOA letter read, in part, that "the flag on your pole is not a United States flag. It is a political statement. Please remove the flag from your property,” the station said.

But DiSario told WCMH he "spent 23 years in the military, and there’s no way, shape, or form that flag is being flown disrespectful at all. It has a 4-by-6 American flag above it, and the police flag is ... 3-by-5 below it. It is no bigger than the top flag."

“It represents my son and nothing else," he added to the station. "So I don’t know why everybody is now harassing me that I have to take it down.”

What did the HOA have to say?

David Dye, Omni Community Association Managers president, told the station the HOA received a complaint about the flag and then sent the letter to DiSario.

Dye also told WCMH that the person who tried to remove DiSario's flags Saturday isn't affiliated with the HOA — and that DiSario has to remove the Thin Blue Line flag because of regulations.

“They bought into the community with rules,” Dye told the station. “He agreed by buying in this community that he can’t display what he wants to display.”

Dye also explained to WCMH how a flag can count as a sign.

“Sometimes signs masquerade as flags or as light displays, as examples,” he told the station. “The board has adopted this and, as a sign, we don’t get to judge what it says. We have had to ask people to remove a sign advertising a nativity display, as an example. It doesn’t matter whether we agree. If it’s a sign, you are not allowed to post it, according to the deed restrictions.”

DiSario, as of Wednesday, continued to fly both of his flags, WCMH said.

Daily Beast publishes attack piece on small-town police chief for wearing a 'Let's Go Brandon' sweater to a Christmas party



According to left-leaning news outlet the Daily Beast, a police chief from a small town in New Jersey is "under fire" for wearing a "Let's Go Brandon" sweater to a Christmas Party — except it appears only a handful of residents and an unrelated former cop are actually upset about it.

What are the details?

Township of Hamilton Police Chief Gregory Ciambrone was reportedly photographed last year wearing a sweater bearing the controversial catchphrase on it, which has become a tongue-in-cheek way of saying, "F*** Joe Biden." Alongside the slogan was an illustration of former President Donald Trump sporting a Santa Hat and smirking.

The photo, which was taken at "what appears to have been a small holiday gathering," according to the outlet, was reportedly uploaded to Facebook on Dec. 5 by another police department employee. In the post, the gathering was described as an "ugly sweater party."

In the photo, Ciambrone was allegedly seen posing with five other men who wore sweaters as well, though none with inflammatory phrases displayed.

The incident appeared to go for weeks without receiving any noticeable attention. Not so much as a local news report was published outlining any subsequent backlash to Ciambrone's sweater choice.

Yet after recently being tipped off about the Facebook post, the Daily Beast decided to spend precious time and resources writing up an 800-word exposé on the ordeal, putting the police chief on blast.

What did the Beast say?

In the article, the Daily Beast claimed that "experts" and "multiple residents" were "enraged at the embrace of a far-right catchphrase." But only one resident and one unrelated former New Jersey police officer are quoted in the article offering substantive criticism.

"Can’t believe he wore that in public to a party," the area resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said.

"Experts on criminal justice were aghast at the chief’s choice of apparel," the article stated, going on to quote Richard Rivera, a former New Jersey police officer who reportedly served as an expert witness in misconduct cases.

"There are a million ugly Christmas sweaters the police chief could have worn," Rivera, who is now a police director in Penns Grove, told the outlet, noting that Ciambrone’s sweater choice did not violate any rules or regulations but sent a troubling message.

"Police executives should refrain from making comments that violate their agency rules of conduct or portray police in a poor light where it would question their ability to fairly and impartially enforce the law," he suggested.

What else?

The Daily Beast reportedly harassed Ciambrone by sending multiple messages to his personal phone and email seeking comment on the incident. The outlet also reached out to the Township of Hamilton Police Department. Neither Ciambrone nor the department responded.

In apparent hopes of instigating an investigation, the outlet tried to contact the Township Committee and the mayor’s office, both of which reportedly declined to comment on the story.

The outlet's intentions were clear. It described the catchphrase as "conservative code" that has "sometimes been touted by advocates of bogus conspiracy theories about fraud in the 2020 election."

Elsewhere in the article, the outlet claimed that Ciambrone's behavior is particularly hurtful at a time when the country is "still facing a national reckoning over police brutality and grappling with a sustained lack of public trust in law enforcement."

Anything else?

Ciambrone is reportedly a highly respected police veteran who has received several awards for his service. According to a department Facebook post, the Township of Hamilton promoted him to chief of police in July 2019.

"During his career, Chief Ciambrone has received multiple awards, including the Gallantry Star and the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year in 2010," the post said. "He also continued to further his education and received a Masters of Administrative Science from Farleigh Dickinson University in 2012. He has received numerous certificates for Professional Training in multiple areas."

Lawmaker claims he got ticketed for being black. Police chief says race wasn't involved, demands lawmaker apologize to officer.



The police chief of St. Paul, Minnesota, said he wants a state representative to apologize for accusing a sergeant of racial profiling during a July 4 traffic stop, KSTP-TV reported.

What are the details?

State Rep. John Thompson of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party made the accusation last week at a rally for Philando Castile, who was killed by police in 2016, outside the governor's residence, the station said.

"We're still getting 'driving while black' tickets in this state and, in fact, in St. Paul," Thompson said, according to KSTP. "So let's just call it what it is, right ... I shouldn't have to be profiled, so this is ridiculous. Oh, and by the way, it was a sergeant here in St. Paul ... We promote bad behavior."

But St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell took issue with Thompson in a Facebook post Friday, the station said.

"These aren't accusations I take lightly, so I looked into the traffic stop, watched the body worn camera footage, and spoke to the sergeant," Axtell wrote, according to KSTP. "This stop, made at about 1:20 in the morning, had absolutely nothing to do with the driver's race.

"Simply put, the traffic stop was by the books," Axtell added, the station said. "What happened afterward was anything but... I'm dismayed and disappointed by the state representative's response to the stop. Rather than taking responsibility for his own decisions and actions, he attempted to deflect, cast aspersions, and deny any wrongdoing."

Axtell then called out Thompson, KSTP said: "The driver, an elected official who does not dispute driving without a front license plate, owes our sergeant an apology."

While the stop was for lack of a license plate, the Pioneer Press said Thompson was cited for operating a motor vehicle after his driving privileges were suspended.

What happened next?

The station said Thompson hasn't responded to its nearly one dozen requests for comment via phone, text, and email — and he declined to give police permission to release the body camera video of his traffic stop, which led the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association to issue a statement demanding its release.

"Rep. Thompson's signature issue at the state legislature was advocating for rapid release of police officer's body camera footage," MPPOA Executive Director Brian Peters said, according to KSTP. "Now he's blocking the public release of body camera footage of his own incident with law enforcement this past week. As a public official, it's hypocritical and irresponsible. Constituents have the right to see how their legislator conducted himself, particularly when he made such strong claims about what happened during the traffic stop."

More from the station:

We've also learned more about the unusual issue of Thompson having only a Wisconsin driver's license despite serving in the Minnesota State Legislature. A Wisconsin Department of Public Safety spokesman confirmed Thompson has had a license in that state since 2000 and has renewed it in 2005, 2012, and in November of 2020, the same month he was elected to represent the east of St. Paul in Minnesota.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety says Thompson has never had a Minnesota driver's license. From May 2019 until this week his Minnesota "driving privileges" were suspended due to unpaid child support. Public safety officials said that issue was taken care of this week and he is now eligible to get a Minnesota driver's license.

Without any response from Thompson, it's difficult to know whether he claims his residency in Minnesota or Wisconsin.

KSTP added that it's unclear what any of these revelations will have on his ability to continue in the Minnesota Legislature without more clarity on his residency.

Rebuke from party head

The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party chairman rebuked Thompson in a statement Sunday, saying he was "disappointed" in him, KSTP reported in a separate story.

"Nobody is above the law, including our elected officials. We expect all of our elected officials, regardless of party, to not only follow the law, but to hold themselves to the highest standards," DFL Chairman Ken Martin said, according to the station. "Whether they like it or not, their words, actions, and behavior are going to be scrutinized by the public. As such it is important for people in positions of power and influence to model the type of behavior we expect from everyone."

Past behavior

When Thompson was campaigning for the State House last summer at the height of George Floyd and Black Lives Matter rioting, he launched into a fiery tirade outside the home of the Minneapolis Police Federation president — and hinted that the town of Hugo should be burned down.

"Why the f*** is we so peaceful in this [homophobic slur removed] neighborhood," Thompson shouted. "F*** your motherf***ing peace, white racist motherf***ers!"

He added in reference to Floyd, "This whole god***n state burned down for $20 god***n dollars, you think we give a f*** about burning Hugo down?"

"Blue lives don't mean s*** to black people," Thompson also said. "F*** Hugo, Minnesota!"

Thompson also was criticized for beating effigies of the police federation leader and his wife outside their Hugo home, KTSP noted, adding that Thompson later apologized.

Former Seattle Police Chief: Media Malfeasance Covering ‘CHOP’ Made Violent Activists Look Peaceful

Former Seattle police chief Carmen Best said on a podcast this week that the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest zone was more violent than the media depicted.

News conference attendees actually order police chief to not use 'riot' to describe riot after fatal shooting of Daunte Wright



It isn't clear who ordered Police Chief Tim Gannon at his Monday news conference to not use the term "riot" to describe what by all reasonable definitions was, in fact, a riot that followed a police-involved fatal shooting of a black motorist on Sunday in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.

According to CNN, activists as well as reporters were present during Gannon's remarks — but nonetheless it was a bit over-the-top to witness the exchange as the chief stood at the podium.

"What was your decision to issue a dispersal order while they were peacefully protesting in front of the police station ... and then, on the back end of that 10-minute dispersal order ... to issue out CO2 canisters and gas for the crowd?" one person asked Gannon.

The chief replied, "Just so everybody's clear, I was front and center at the protest, at the riot."

Oops.

It didn't take but a second or two for individuals in attendance to bark out, "Don't do that!" and "that was no riot!" and "it was not a riot."

But Gannon stood his ground: "Yes, there was."

I'm sorry but are these reporters telling the police chief not to use the term riot when explaining how police resp… https://t.co/5nqVF8TJjR
— (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@(((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio)1618250851.0

The chief added that "the officers that were putting themselves in harm's way were being pelted with frozen cans ... they were being pelted with concrete blocks. And yes, we had our helmets on, and we had other protective gear, but an officer was injured, hit in the head with a brick — it was a Hennepin County deputy, he was transported to the hospital, but we had to make decisions. We had to disperse the crowd because we can't allow our officers to be harmed."

Again, given the report that activists were present at the presser along with reporters, one would hope activists were the ones who inappropriately inserted themselves into the exchange with Gannon. But in the age of CNN's Jim Acosta — who still allows former President Donald Trump to live rent free in his head — and other mainstream journalists who stray far from objectivity and make themselves part of the story, one can never be too sure.

Anything else?

Police also said Monday that the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old Daunte Wright was an accident by an unidentified "very senior" female officer who apparently mistook her handgun for a Taser.

The Minnesota National Guard was deployed Sunday night after a crowd of 100 to 200 people rioted after the shooting.

Also in the aftermath of the shooting an anti-cop protester on a bullhorn urged a crowd to dox Minneapolis police, post photos of their families — and "start doin' pull ups to their house."

The officer who shot Wright has been placed on administrative leave.

Rochester Police Chief shares POWERFUL words during resignation after city’s violent, BLM protests

Rochester Police Chief shares POWERFUL words during resignation after city’s violent, BLM protests