A Los Angeles police union fired back Friday, accusing LAPD Chief Michel Moore of “politically pandering” with his recent decision to ban public displays of the “undemocratic, racist, and bigoted” Thin Blue Line flag.
In a move echoing that of departments nationwide following the 2020 death of George Floyd while in police custody, public areas belonging to the LAPD will no longer be permitted to display the Thin Blue Line flag because of pressure from anti-police activists. In an email sent to Fox News Digital, Moore defended his decision that may have come from one solitary complaint.
“Yesterday, we received a community complaint of the presence of a Blue Line Flag” with “the view that it symbolized support for violent extremist views, such as those represented by the Proud Boys and others,” he wrote to the outlet.
“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 continued without making any exception for memorials that include the Thin Blue Line flag.
Attempting to have it both ways, Moore contended, “It’s unfortunate that extremist groups have hijacked the use of the ‘Thin Blue Line flag’ to symbolize their undemocratic, racist, and bigoted views,” while he claimed, “The ‘Thin Blue Line Flag’ to me presents the honor, valor, dedication, and sacrifice of law enforcement to protect our communities.”
His unwillingness to stand up for the belief after a complaint was filed led the Board of Directors for the Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents nearly 10,000 members of the LAPD, to issue their own statement.
“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. 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.”
On social media, they posted, “We will display it proudly and will not let anyone distort the true meaning.”
We will display it proudly and will not let anyone distort the true meaning.
“…The blue line represents the men and women of law enforcement who stand in the gap between the lawless and the innocent.“@LAPDHQ pic.twitter.com/vNdfmHjwdQ
— Los Angeles Police Protective League (@LAPPL) January 11, 2023
“Let’s all remember what the Thin Blue Line flag is and what it represents,” Their statement went on to describe.’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 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.”
As Moore’s decision was circulating, the Springfield Township Board in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania outside Philadelphia voted 5-2 to ban the display of the Thin Blue Line flag on township employees or property.
Commissioner Ed Graham contended during the meeting, “When you wave this flag, it is just like, for African Americans, the waving of a Confederate flag.”
Last night, Springfield Township in Montgomery County, PA, voted to ban the Thin Blue Line Logo from township premises.
Commissioner Eddie Graham compared the Thin Blue line logo to a confederate flag. pic.twitter.com/C7ihQSopBb
— Meg Brock (@MegEBrock) January 13, 2023
Graham’s view, and its promotion by others, lead local resident John English to express, “My house is now targeted. I am looked down upon,” simply because his family displayed a blue heart with a thin blue line in their window after an officer had been killed in the line of duty.
“My family is looked upon as white supremacists,” he went on. “And to use that term so loosely in this society is disgusting. It’s vile. These are the vilest people on earth and this what you’re comparing people to.”
Moore went on to say that members of the LAPD were permitted to display the flag in “their workspace, locker door, or personal vehicle,” but such concessions meant little to the union that further slammed the “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.”
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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