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New flags representing the police and fire departments at the Williamsburg Safety Complex, pictured on May 15, went up in early May. The flags have since been removed after concern from some residents that they symbolize the alt-right movement in America. -
New flags representing the police and fire departments at the Williamsburg Safety Complex, pictured on May 15, went up in early May. The flags have since been removed after concern from some residents that they symbolize the alt-right movement in America. -
Williamsburg has ordered new flags to hang in front of the Public Safety Complex that will display the crests of the fire and police departments, as shown here.
WILLIAMSBURG — The public safety complex’s flagpoles aren’t even a month old, and already they have aroused some controversy after two “thin line flags” representing the police and fire departments were hung flanking the American flag.
These thin line flags were up for most of May after the poles were installed at the beginning of the month, but they were recently removed after some residents interpreted the flags to be associated with the American alt-right.
Regardless, the flags would have been removed in the next month or so and replaced with red and blue flags bearing the crests of the Williamsburg fire and police departments, said Fire Chief Jason Connell.
The flags that recently came down had a solid black background split by a thin line — one of them red, in support of the fire department, and the other blue, in support of law enforcement. The supposed symbolism of the thin line is that law enforcement and emergency services are the thin barrier between law-abiding citizens and societal chaos.
But last week, before the flags were removed, Connell had said that, “We have been hearing a lot. We hear both sides. You know, people come by and say they love the flags, period, and there’s been some discussion of the blue line flag.”
This week, Town Administrator Nick Caccamo said that the Select Board has heard complaints and is taking action to prevent these situations from emerging in the future.
“We hear these comments, and the board has been receptive to them,” he said. “What we’ll be doing is looking at just drafting a very straightforward flag policy, and just kind of say to the public what we plan to do with these flagpoles, since there are a few scattered throughout town, between the Town Offices and the elementary school.”
He added that, “There is a temperature around these kinds of things.”
Police Chief Denise Wickland did not respond for comment this week.
Assuring residents that the town did not intend to portray any right-wing symbolism, both Connell and Caccamo said the flag associated with the alt-right movement is black-and-white with a colored dividing line that was popularized by “Blue Lives Matter” in support of police.
The flags that had been up at the public safety complex did not involve the American flag, though Caccamo acknowledges that “there are people seeing it like a similarity.”
“I’ve done a little bit of research,” Connell said. “And it always seems to refer back to, like I said, the black-and-white American flag with the lines through. And that’s what a lot of that negativity is associated with. But when you look at the initial meaning of it and stuff, that’s why we went with it for the time being.
“These are more like memorializing the police and fire department,” he said. “There’s no ill notions on either flag. I shouldn’t say they are just placeholders, but they’re temporary.”
The new flags will go up as soon as the shipment comes in,” Connell said.
Samuel Gelinas can be reached at sgelinas@gazettenet.com.
