Dem lawmaker pushes FDNY to remove 'politically charged' thin red line American flag honoring 9/11 responders



The New York City Fire Department's Ladder Company 11 was recently ordered to remove its thin red line American flag honoring responders killed in the September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center, the New York Post reported.

The department issued the order on March 22 after Democratic Manhattan Councilwoman Carlina Rivera's office confronted Ladder Company 11 about the so-called politically charged symbol.

In an email dated March 19, Rivera's office asked the FDNY whether the firehouse displayed a flag with "political symbols."

"I'm reaching out on behalf of a constituent of ours regarding a thin blue/red line flag on Ladder 11 last week (and earlier on Jan 20th)," Rivera's office wrote to the department. "When asked about the meaning, they claimed it was to honor deceased firefighters, however he brought up that they could've used an FDNY flag rather than a politically charged symbol."

"It is both his and our understandings that private political symbols aren't permitted to be displayed on public vehicles," her office continued. "Can you confirm if there are any violating flags/symbols on Ladder 11?"

The flag was displayed on the firehouse's fire truck, next to a memorial placard honoring six men — Lt. Michael Quilty and firefighters Michael Cammarata, Edward Day, John Hefferman, Richard Kelly Jr., and Matthew Rogan — who were killed on 9/11.

Sources told the Post that a man claiming to be one of Rivera's staffers arrived at the firehouse a few days after the email demanding to know why the flag was still flying, calling it a "fascist symbol," the sources claimed.

The confrontation with the alleged staffer prompted FDNY Deputy Chief Joseph Schiralli to visit the firehouse and request responders remove it from the fire truck, noting that it violated the department's ban on "altered" versions of the American flag. Sources told the Post that the prohibition was enacted in 2020 by then-Commissioner Daniel Nigro and then-First Deputy Commissioner Laura Kavanagh amid Black Lives Matter's anti-police movement.

The Post reported that Schiralli was reluctant to order the flag's removal, calling the requirement "ridiculous."

A Ladder Co. 11 firefighter told the news outlet, "This flag has huge significance for us."

"I wish [Rivera's office] would have come at it like 'Hey, we want to learn about the flag and what it represents' before they asked for it to be taken down,'" another firefighter stated.

Rivera told the Post that the initial complaint was from a constituent and not one of her staffers.

"We have heard nothing further from the FDNY and have taken no additional action on this matter," Rivera stated, referring to the email sent by her office. "My relationship with Ladder 11 has always been strong."

Hours after the removal was ordered, now-Commissioner Kavanagh and Chief of Department John Hodgens reversed the decision, allowing the flag to be displayed once again.

A Ladder 11 firefighter told the Post, "We're happy with the outcome of this — but we're offended it happened in the first place."

New York City Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R) responded to the news on X, writing, "I want to extend a deep personal thank you to @FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens for taking a bold stand and ordering the thin red line flag to be put back up at Ladder 11 last week."

"We are living in a time of increasing political pressure to adhere to certain ideologies - ideologies that seek to censor and shame anyone or anything that might dare to disagree with their positions. Chief Hodgens showed great personal courage by defying the will of certain loud radicals in government, and restoring that flag even when political forces were being arrayed against him," Ariola continued. "Thank you, Chief Hodgens, for doing what was right. May that honor and bravery become contagious, and spread throughout our city. We certainly need it."

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Los Angeles Police Department bans Thin Blue Line flag because it now allegedly symbolizes 'undemocratic, racist, and bigoted views'



The Los Angeles Police Department banned the Thin Blue Line flag because it now allegedly symbolizes "undemocratic, racist, and bigoted views" held by extremist groups.

The Thin Blue Line symbol is a pro-police emblem that is said to represent the thin line between order and lawlessness in society that is maintained by law enforcement who wear blue uniforms.

LAPD Chief Michel Moore sent an email to department personnel on Friday announcing that the department was banning the Thin Blue Line symbol. The LAPD has barred the Thin Blue Line symbol from being displayed in public areas of police property.

Moore defended the ban by saying the Thin Blue Line has been "hijacked" by "extremist" groups. He claimed that he received a community complaint this week about the presence of the Thin Blue Line flag in the lobby of the police station. The complaint alleged that the Thin Blue Line flag "symbolized support for violent extremist views, such as those represented by the Proud Boys and others."

Moore told Fox News, "It's unfortunate that extremist groups have hijacked the use of the ‘Thin Blue Line flag’ to symbolize their undemocratic, racist, and bigoted views."

Moore said he viewed the Thin Blue Line flag as symbolizing "the honor, valor, dedication, and sacrifice of law enforcement to protect our communities." However, the police chief said some people had undermined the flag with their "racist, bigoted and oppressive values."

He declared, "I directed to have the item taken down from the public lobby. The U.S. flag should be proudly displayed in our lobbies whenever possible. Memorials for our fallen are also authorized in all public spaces."

Moore said the police station should be "free of political ideology."

Moore said LAPD officers can display the Thin Blue Line flag in "their workspace, locker door, or personal vehicle."

The board of directors for the Los Angeles Police Protective League, a union representing nearly 10,000 police officers, "vehemently" opposed the ban and accused Moore of "political pandering."

"It is difficult to express the level of utter disgust and disappointment with Chief Moore’s politically pandering directive to remove Thin Blue Line flags and memorials for fallen officers from all public areas within our police stations," said the Los Angeles Police Protective League. "This direction came as a result of complaints from anti-police, criminal apologists, and activists who hold too much sway over our city leaders and, unfortunately, our Chief."

The union lampooned the ban as "disrespectful and defeatist kowtowing by our department leadership to groups that praise the killing of police officers and outright call for violence against those of us in uniform. We have directly expressed our outrage to the Chief."

The union asserted that the flag was actually a "symbol of unity."

"Let's all remember what the Thin Blue Line flag is and what it represents: The Thin Blue Line flag features a black and white image of the American flag with the horizontal stripe beneath the field of white stars on the black background," the statement read. "The stars represent the citizenry who stand for justice and order. The darkness represents chaos and anarchy, and to many, a memorial to the law enforcement officers who have perished in the line of duty."

A similar ban was enacted in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. This week, the Springfield township board voted to ban the Thin Blue Line from township property.

Commissioner Ed Graham claimed, "When you wave this flag, it is just like for African Americans the waving of a Confederate flag."

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California parents and students protest after HS football team was told to stop carrying 'Thin Blue Line' flag



Parents and students at a local high school in Santa Clarita, California, organized a protest against the school board's recent decision to bar the football team from carrying a pro-police flag onto the field during games.

Spectators at the Saugus High School football game Friday night wore T-shirts that displayed the banned "Thin Blue Line" flag and read, "THE BLUE HAD OUR BACKS NOW WE BACK YOURS!!," the Los Angeles Daily News reported.

\u201cImages from tonight\u2019s Saugus and Hart football game. Saugus parents and supporters wearing \u2018Thin Blue Line\u2019 t-shirts. Student section hanging the flag in the stands. This all in response to the team being told it can no longer run onto the field with the \u2018Thin Blue Line\u2019 flag.\u201d
— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek Fattal) 1665196109

Last month, school administrators told the football team they needed to end their tradition of running onto the field with the Blue Lives Matter flag, calling it "divisive." Some individuals had complained that the flag made them feel "uncomfortable and unwelcome," according to Superintendent Mike Kuhlman.

"In deference to his commitment to inclusivity, kindness and respect (just loving people), and because the team never voted as a unit to carry this banner, Coach Bornn decided to discontinue this practice," the superintendent announced in a letter to the community on Sept. 28.

But some parents and students criticized the decision, noting that an off-duty police officer saved lives in 2019 by responding to a school shooting at Saugus High School.

“It’s unfortunate,” said retired police officer Todd Cataldi, whose son plays on the Saugus football team. "These kids went through a lot when they were freshmen with the school shooting, and there are several kids on the team whose parents work in law enforcement and are first responders and want to show their support for them.”

There are those who believe the "Thin Blue Line" is a sign of respect meant to honor police officers who risk their lives to protect and serve the community. Others feel the symbol has become a statement of opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement, which began as a protest against police brutality but was co-opted by left-wing activists to support socialist causes and defunding the police. They claim that saying "Blue Lives Matter" is coded support for white supremacy, and therefore politically divisive.

Santa Clarita Valley resident Duncan Mandel made that point in a social media post condemning the school for letting students carry the "Thin Blue Line" flag.

“There is absolutely no reason for this image to be carried out onto the field by players or used on cheer blocks,” the post read, according to the Daily News. “Get loud. What message are we sending to our kids if we sit back and allow this divisiveness to continue. Do something! This is simply not a First Amendment issue.”

The superintendent's statement recognized that the majority of community members support the police, but said both sides of the argument should be respected.

“Here are two statements that are true about the Hart District: 1) We support law enforcement and deeply appreciate their work to keep our community safe. 2) We foster a culture of inclusivity, kindness and respect,” Kuhlman wrote. “The controversy has generated strong feelings on all sides of this issue. Many of the loudest voices appear to be suggesting that we must choose to support one or the other of these two statements – as if they are on opposite sides of a political spectrum. I’d like to suggest that it is possible for our community to actively support both statements listed above.”

But some parents were dissatisfied with the school's response and said the community should have been allowed to vote on the issue.

More from KTLA:

Fans push back after Saugus stops carrying 'thin blue line' flag youtu.be

California high school football team told to stop running onto field with 'Thin Blue Line' flag



A high school football team in Santa Clarita, California, got in trouble for carrying a "Thin Blue Line" flag supporting police onto the field before games.

The National Desk reports that officials with the William S. Hart Union High School District have instructed the Saugus High School football team to end their tradition of running onto the field with the Blue Lives Matter flag, calling it "divisive."

"The controversy has generated strong feelings on all sides of this issue," Superintendent Mike Kuhlman wrote in a letter to community members Wednesday. "Despite emails for immediate action, and threats of consequences if certain steps weren't taken within a specific timeline, we determined to take our time to understand the issue accurately and to respond thoughtfully."

Kuhlman said the district began an investigation and spoke with the head coach after some people complained that the flag — a black and white American flag with a horizontal blue stripe — made them feel "uncomfortable and unwelcome." Football coach Jason Bornn reportedly acknowledged that some players on the team "might not be entirely enthusiastic about a symbol that is being used to represent the entire team," Kuhlman wrote.

"In deference to his commitment to inclusivity, kindness and respect (just loving people), and because the team never voted as a unit to carry this banner, Coach Bornn decided to discontinue this practice," the superintendent announced.

Kuhlman emphasized that the district still supports law enforcement. "The degree of enthusiasm behind our District’s backing of law enforcement is not measured by the acceptance or rejection of any one particular symbol," he wrote.

Parents and students criticized the decision.

"For some people to say the flag is divisive, shows their ignorance because these are our heroes that come in while everybody runs away," Christine Ruiz told Los Angeles station KTTV.

"I think people should keep an open mind because at the end of the day, when you call 9-1-1, who’s going to come and help you?" parent Priscilla Garcia said.

Other parents said the decision was upsetting because off-duty police officers were the first to respond when a shooter attacked Saugus High School in 2019, shooting five of his classmates and killing two.

"One of the first responders was a parent who dropped off a kid (at the time) and he literally saved some lives. The fact that the school is not honoring that is mind-blowing and disgusting," said Brandy Roggentien, whose daughter attends the high school.

But others felt the school was doing the right thing.

"I think it should be away from the game because it’ll cause fights and stuff, and people will get mad about that; just enjoy the game you don’t have to worry about it," said student Daniel Alexander.

D’Ante Von Wright told KKTV that the "Thin Blue Line" flag was actually disrespectful to some servicemen.

"The American flag has colors for a reason. Red, white and blue, so when you add a blue line to one of the white stripes, it obviously changes the meaning of that flag," he said. "It’s no longer the Stars and Stripes, it’s whatever they want it to be. So it’s a false flag. Flying it during a school event or any event is disrespectful to the country and the servicemen and women that came before."

Watch:

A dozen homes now flying Thin Blue Line flags after HOA orders military veteran neighbor to take his down over its 'political' message



After a homeowner's association recently told an Ohio military veteran he had to take down the Thin Blue Line flag he's been flying for five years in honor of his police chief son who was killed while responding to a call, about a dozen of Tom DiSario's neighbors responded in solidarity by flying Thin Blue Line flags of their own.

What's more, a caravan of about 20 cruisers from various Licking County law enforcement agencies on Friday evening drove past the Etna home DiSario shares with his wife Belinda — as their own Thin Blue Line flag continued flying — in a show of support, WBNS-TV reported.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Image source: YouTube screenshot

What's the background?

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

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

Image source: YouTube screenshot

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.

'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 not 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 instructing him to take down the flag.

“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.”

'When the controversy arose, we ordered one'

It would appear that the HOA now has a few more letters to mail, as a dozen Thin Blue Line flags were flying in the Cumberland Crossing neighborhood by Monday, WBNS said.

“We support his decision,” neighbor Lori Shoemaker — a new flyer of the Thin Blue Line flag — told the station of DiSario's memorial. “I don’t see this flag as being political.”

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Neighbors Wally Baumbusch and Matt Westlake agree, telling WBNS the flag isn't political.

“I did not have it in my yard before, but when the controversy arose, we ordered one,” Baumbusch added to the station.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Westlake has family in law enforcement, and he noted to WBNS that DiSario’s Thin Blue Line flag is no different than making a rock garden for a deceased loved one.

“That’s a memorial for his son,” Westlake told the station.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

An Omni representative told WBNS the rule can change if the board moves to amend the deed restrictions, after which 75 percent of the homeowners must vote in the affirmative. But the HOA added that the biggest challenge would be deciding again what's acceptable, telling the station the average homeowner isn't aware of legal implications that may be ahead.

'I'm an American first'

For Baumbusch, it's a matter of civic duty.

"At the end of the day, I’m an American first," he told WBNS, adding that flying the Thin Blue Line flag is a constitutional right worth defending.

“We have to protect it,” he noted to the station. “And if that means we got to do a little head-butting with our HOA, then I guess that’s what we’ll do.”

Neighborhood fights back, puts up police flags after Licking County resident told to remove ityoutu.be

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.

Library is sorry after using 'racist' thin blue line imagery to promote Northwestern University police reform event



The Evanston Public Library in Evanston, Illinois, has issued an apology for using a "thin blue line" image to promote Northwestern University's police reform event.

Reports say that the imagery was used for signage and other materials promoting the forthcoming November event.

What are the details?

According to a Thursday report from The College Fix, the Evanston Public Library issued an apology after apparently conflating the "thin blue line" flag — which is typically flown or used to show support for law enforcement officials — with the police reform movement.

Northwestern University's Emeriti Organization, a group of retired professors from the university, plan to host a Nov. 2 event on police reform, which is titled "Police Reform: Progress and Pitfalls."

The group is set to discuss "realistic" police reform and police abuse.

The Fix reported that Prof. Emeritus Wesley Skogan of Northwestern University's Department of Political Science and Institute for Policy Research will headline the event.

A description page for the event reads, "Are police abuses endemic to the system? What are the realistic prospects for reform?"

Upon realizing its snafu, the library — which is co-sponsoring the organization's event — apologized for using "racist imagery in a display designed to promote" the upcoming event.

In a statement on the matter, a spokesperson for the library said, "We acknowledge the harm this image has caused our community, particularly for those who identify as black, indigenous, or POC. The library is committed to identifying, understanding, and rectifying our injustices past and current, as well as developing anti-racist policies and procedures that promote equity."

The statement added that all library staff will collaborate for a "more sensitive review of signage, programs, collections, policies, and procedures drafts for potentially offensive imagery before inclusion in displays."

https://t.co/QxWa9vs0op

— Evanston Public Lib. (@evanstonpl) 1633636878.0

What else?

The Daily Northwestern reported that the thin blue line flag is "sometimes used to show support for law enforcement," but claimed that the flag "also been linked to white nationalist and alt-right groups."

The Chicago Tribune reported that the offending imagery "appeared on signage as well as one of several books set out to promote the event."

After a library staffer complained about the images, library officials replaced the signage, removed the books, and issued their apology.

“We are very serious about our racial equity work and very serious about not wanting to cause harm or to hurt anyone," the library's executive director, Karen Danczak-Lyons, said. “This image can be and is harmful, so we apologized to our community."

Teacher ordered to take down 'political' Thin Blue Line flag honoring her brother, a former cop — but Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ symbols are just fine



A school district in western Washington state ordered a teacher to take down a pro-police Thin Blue Line flag in her classroom that honors her brother since it's a "political symbol" and could cause a "disruption" — yet Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ symbols and messages apparently are just fine, Jason Rantz of KTTH-AM reported.

What are the details?

Chris Sutherland — the brother of the unnamed teacher at Marysville Middle School, which is about 40 minutes north of Seattle — is a former officer who served with the Marysville Police Department and also was a school resource officer during a deadly high school shooting in the city, Rantz wrote.

Sutherland's sister initially placed a Thin Blue Line sticker on her laptop to honor her brother and other law enforcement officers, KTTH noted — but an assistant principal objected to the sticker.

Rantz — citing a human resources document on the incident — reported that the assistant principal had "concerns about how students, families, and community members might interpret what the image is intending to communicate, and that this interpretation may cause a disruption to the learning environment."

But the objections were soon dropped, KTTH reported.

The HR document added that the the teacher also displayed a Thin Blue Line flag on her classroom's bulletin board surrounded by photos of her brother, Rantz wrote.

EXCLUSIVE: A teacher was forced to remove a pro-police flag from her classroom, claiming it's political & could off… https://t.co/eMF1FzZMPy

— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) 1632704452.0

Well, that prompted a second assistant principal to order the teacher to take down the flag, KTTH said.

"They told her that it's controversial to have that flag up," Sutherland told Rantz on his KTTH program. "That it makes kids and staff feel unsafe, which to me, that does not make sense at all."

Rantz added that an HR representative from Marysville School District 25 sent the teacher a letter of clarification about the issue indicating officials were "highly concerned about the impact of this political symbol on students, staff, and families of Marysville Middle School" and that there were "concerns from other staff members about how this political symbol might negatively impact the overall professional work environment."

Remove the flag!

The letter ordered the teacher to remove the flag and told her her to "refrain from using the 'Thin Blue Line Flag' symbol" in the classroom, KTTH said, adding that failure to do so "may result in further disciplinary action."

The district confirmed to the station that the situation is a personnel matter and wouldn't comment. Rantz added that while the letter of clarification said the district supports police, a district spokesperson wouldn't explain why a Thin Blue Line flag is banned for being political while Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ messages and symbols are allowed.

BLM, LGBTQ messages apparently are no problem

Sutherland told Rantz that his sister has seen BLM messages in classrooms and "hanging on walls, which she was told is OK. Just for whatever reason, just the Thin Blue Line flag cannot be hung up there." Rantz added that the teacher also displayed an LGBTQ pride flag to support a gay family member.

Yet, KTTH said, symbols of BLM and LGBTQ — which have political undertones — haven't been targeted by the district for removal.

Teacher takes down Thin Blue Line flag

Rantz said the teacher took down her Thin Blue Line flag display but told the district that the ordeal "has been the most traumatic and hostile" experience for her at the school to date.

She added that the order to remove the flag came from "an agenda rather than really wanting to gain any understanding of me, who I am, or my story," she added in respond to the HR rep, KTTH reported.

Massachusetts cops and students came together years ago to paint a Thin Blue Line mural at their high school. Now activists claim it has racist connotations and want it gone.



A Massachusetts high school is suddenly finding itself in the middle of a controversy over a Thin Blue Line flag mural that has been in the school for a couple years that some community members now consider offensive.

What's that now?

Back in the 2018-2019 school year, Taunton High School students and members of the Taunton Police Department came together to paint a Thin Blue Line flag mural at the school, the Taunton Daily Gazette reported. The artwork was designed to show support for local police and is part of the "Cops Corner" at the school resource officers' "study buddy" area outside the SROs' office. The area is designed to be a safe place for students to get together, relax, or do schoolwork.

Now, though, the mural is apparently a problem — and a petition was launched to get the mural removed.

Opponents of the mural claim that their problem with the Thin Blue Line flag imagery is not connected to dislike or distrust of police but because they feel that the symbol has been co-opted by white supremacists.

The Taunton Diversity Network has come out in full support of the petition; however, the organization does not know who started it. In fact, no one seems to know who launched it.

The network's chief, April Cabrera Funches, told WJAR-TV, "What we've heard from the students, either present students and even former students, is that they don't want the flag to be there, that it has a negative vibe and they think it should be removed."

What is that "negative vibe"?

Funches said that it's not about the cops — it's about racism, WBZ-TV reported.

"The negative vibe is not the support of the police," Funches said. "We fully support the police department and the work that they do. We do know there are — we talk about it all the time — that there are some bad apples. But lately, that flag has been used to really promote and support white supremacy."

Liberal organizations like the Marshall Project, a nonprofit journalism organization that focuses on criminal justice, the Daily Gazette noted, have decried the Thin Blue Line flag because it has been flown by white supremacists — despite the fact that it has been used as a pro-police symbol for about a century. From the Marshall Project:

Those who fly the flag have said it stands for solidarity and professional pride within a dangerous, difficult profession and a solemn tribute to fallen police officers. But it has also been flown by white supremacists, appearing next to Confederate flags at the 2017 'Unite the Right' rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. County officials in Oregon recently paid $100,000 to a black employee of a law enforcement agency there, after she said she was harassed by coworkers for complaining about her colleagues displaying the flag at work.

Funches added to WJAR, "We do want to see better police relations with students. And we fully support that idea. We just think that if you're going to put something up there, put the American flag."

The TPD told WBZ that the mural was created with a diverse group of students and that it is working with the school and concerned citizens to find a solution.

Wisconsin police chief bans 'Thin Blue Line' flags after outcry over the 'white supremacist' emblem



The University of Wisconsin-Madison's police chief has banned the force's officers from using the "Thin Blue Line" imagery while on duty, according to a report from ABC News.

What's a brief history on this?

In December, the department came under fire after an innocuous social media photo from the department featured a Thin Blue Line flag on one of the departments walls.

Social media users branded the photo "toxic" and said that the flag is a "sign of racism and conservatism."

Despite the outcry, Chief Kristen Roman at the time stuck by the flag and its presence in the office.

"The 'thin blue line' phrase and associated imagery date back decades," she said in a December statement. "To many within and outside of the police procession, it symbolized a commitment to public service and the countless selfless sacrifices willingly made to honor that commitment, up to and including laying down one's life to protect the lives of others."

The Wisconsin State Journal reported that some people associate the flag with the riot that took place at the U.S. Capitol in early January.

"Some see the controversial flag as a symbol of solidarity with police," the outlet's Emily Hamer writes, "but it has also been flown by white supremacists, including those who stormed the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6 in an attempt to overturn the legitimate election defeat of former President Donald Trump. Five people, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer, died in the riot."

What are the details?

According to the report, Roman said that the flag had been "co-opted" by extremists with "hateful ideologies."

In a mid-January email, Roman said, "We must consider the cost of clinging to a symbol that is undeniably and inextricably linked to actions and beliefs antithetical to UWPD's values."

The ban on the imagery, according to the outlet, includes "flags, pins, bracelets, notebooks, coffee mugs, and other items."

Tattoos, the outlet reported, are an exception.

KMGH-TV on Friday reported that Roman added, "At the end of the day, we have dedicated ourselves to a profession that demands service above self. As such, relevant community concerns, perceptions, and fears necessarily outweigh our shared professional investment in a symbol that presently separates and alienates us from those we have promised to serve."

The chief added, however, that she would consider possible exceptions for "event-specific displays such as line-of-duty death observances."

Roman added, "My intent is not that we reject outright the symbol for what we understand it to represent, nor do I believe it to be inherently racist/fascist as many purport. Instead, my intent is to be reasonably responsive to its detrimental impact on many in our community for whom the visible symbol holds a very different meaning."

KMGH also noted that Trump supporters at the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot carried "thin blue line" flags with them.

The Wisconsin State Journal added that Roman, too, was "hurt and disappointed" over banning the emblem.

"I understand that this decision may cause emotional responses, even anger from some," Roman said in the statement. "I, too, feel hurt and disappointed as we confront our current reality. I know this is hard. I know this issue is complicated."