By Kate Hill

Staff Writer

On Feb. 9, the Madison County Board of Supervisors voted to table a resolution authorizing the Madison County Sheriff’s Office to continue to fly the “Thin Blue Line Flag” in support of county law enforcement.

Recently, the board has received a number of requests from the Hamilton Area Anti-Racism Coalition (HAARC) and other county residents for the flag’s removal.

The Thin Blue Line Flag — a black-and-white American flag with a single blue stripe — is often used to show support for law enforcement. At times, however, the flag has also been associated with white nationalists.

Following the Jan. 6 storming of the United States Capitol Building, John Bailey, of the Hamilton Area Anti-Racism Coalition (HAARC), wrote a letter to the Madison County Board of Supervisors calling for the removal of the flag from the county office buildings.

In the Jan. 13 letter, Bailey noted that the Thin Blue Line Flag was one of the many symbols used by the rioters that day in Washington, DC.

“No matter what this flag originally represented, it is now and will forever be part of one of the worst days in our country’s history!” he wrote. “This flag is now a symbol of anarchy, racism, and insurrection.”

In response to the letter, Board of Supervisors Chairman John Becker issued a Jan. 19 statement saying that the county took offense to HAARC’s request and had no intention of removing the flag. He stated that the county flies the flag to show its support for the men and women in uniform who bravely protect and serve Madison County citizens every day.

Becker explained that the flag was raised at the county complex after gangs in Chicago put a $10,000 bounty on police, burned buildings, and threw bricks and ice at law enforcement.

The chairman concluded his letter by stating that, “If HAARC believes that they are right on this issue, then it can be settled in the court of law, where rash, law-abiding citizens of our great country settle their disputes.”

HAARC responded to the county’s stance with a letter explaining that the group’s opposition to the flag is not meant to disparage Madison County law enforcement, but rather to highlight what they view as a divisive and hateful symbol.

The group also questioned the legality of the “unofficial” flag’s placement on county property, claiming it violates U.S. Flag Code sections 3 and 8 due to its misrepresentation of the U.S. Flag.

HAARC argued that removing a flag that many find “hostile” and “reprehensible” from public property would help unite the county.

“Now more than ever, we need to work together to strengthen our democracy and work towards unification,” the group wrote. “Because the flag is so divisive, removing the Thin Blue Line flag from county property would be a strong act of unification. We need only one flag to unite us, the flag of the United States of America.”

The writers went on to argue that public buildings belong to the people; therefore, the flags they fly should be representative of all of the people, not threatening to some.

Additionally, the group said it is wrong for elected officials to suggest to their electorate that court proceedings are the only way for their concerns to be heard.

“Just as important, we are also concerned that an elected official would ‘take offense’ to community participation in government,” HAARC wrote. “Given that this is a democracy, public servants should ideally welcome and encourage civic participation and authentically listen to and explore community concerns, even if they differ from their own.”

HAARC concluded the letter by asking the board again to remove the Thin Blue Line Flag from its county offices.

Last month, a Madison County resident started a petition to remove the symbol.

At the time of the Feb. 9 board of supervisors meeting, the petition had 363 supporters.

After the board voted to postpone consideration of the proposed resolution to next month, the meeting was opened up to the public for comment.

Several individuals, including Bailey, Cazenovia residents Martha Moore and John O’Neill, City of Oneida resident John Nichols, and Methodist minister Bryant Clark, argued for the flag’s removal and expressed their respect and full support for Madison County law enforcement professionals.

Moore also reported that the Oneida Daily Dispatch has a running public poll on the flag, and that, at the time, 71 percent of the 124 responders said the flag should be taken down.

“This data represents the fact that a large percentage of your constituents believe that flying [the flag] on county property is inappropriate,” she said.

Supervisor Matt Roberts, of the City of Oneida, concluded the meeting by stating that, after researching the issue, reading comments from the public and speaking with his constituents, he is leaning towards keeping the Thin Blue Line Flag flying.

“While a lot of the people at this meeting are voicing one side of the discussion, many of the people that I’ve talked to don’t share that assertion,” he said.

Roberts added that he struggled to find objective, apolitical information on the Thin Blue Line Flag online.

“[The flag], which was not done in retaliation to Black Lives Matter, has a lot of historical connotation,” Roberts said. “It’s really representative of law enforcement personnel, who on a daily basis are dedicated to preserving life and property, even at the expense of giving their own life or the lives of their brothers and sisters in blue, by putting themselves in harms way.”

Roberts provided a number of examples of other flags that represent “unique, heroic individuals,” such as the Thin Red Line Flag for fire fighters, the Thin Yellow Line for security guards, the Thin Silver Line for corrections officers and individuals in the mental health system, and the Thin Purple Line for those injured or killed in the line of duty.

“I urge all citizens — rather than allow the actions of a few to determine the lives of many — to ostracize the radical left and radical right and use common sense when living their lives,” Roberts said. “I’m not going to let the actions of a few crazy people determine how I live my life.”

To learn more about the Madison County Board of Supervisors, visit madisoncounty.ny.gov.

For more information on HAARC, visit facebook.com/hamiltonaarc.