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Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Women's rights organization wants all American flags nationwide flown upside down
A nationwide women's rights organization is advocating for Americans across the country to fly their flags upside down. In a press release branded as an 'SOS,' the Women's March Foundation referred to the flying of flags upside down as a 'historic signal of distress [and] as a visible act of resistance to the escalating authoritarian threat.' 'The upside-down American flag is the warning signal to the world that American democracy is in distress. It is not unpatriotic to resist; it is unpatriotic to stay silent,' said Emiliana Guereca, President of the Women's March Foundation. Trump endorses arrest of Gavin Newsom The organization's upside-down flag campaign extends to Flag Day, which is this Saturday. 'The Women's March Foundation is calling on all Americans – whether they're marching, protesting, or sitting this one out – to join [us] in a powerful visual act of resistance,' the group said. L.A. protester, 40, wanted by FBI for assault on federal officer identified According to Middle Tennessee State University's Free Speech Center, the practice of flying flags upside down was originally used by ships in distress before it was considered a sign of protest. Flying a flag upside down for that reason has been practiced for at least 50 years, the Free Speech Center said. Some demonstrators in the ongoing Los Angeles protests have been seen with upside-down American flags. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Three residents sue Miami over anti-panhandling law, argue it's unconstitutional
In 2023 and 2024, Miami police officers made nearly 400 arrests of people 'aggressively' panhandling in city limits, according to a new lawsuit. The suit, which hopes to overturn the law, argues that the city's ordinance violates the First Amendment and does not apply to other forms of speech, like a political candidate asking for support or a church member proselytizing. The city of Miami enacted the ordinance prohibiting 'aggressive' or 'obstructive' panhandling in 2000, according to the lawsuit. Violators can be fined $100 or jailed for up to 30 days for a first offense, or fined $200 and jailed up to 60 days for subsequent offenses. The Florida Justice Institute, a coalition of civil-rights attorneys, filed its lawsuit against the city last week, arguing that the ordinance infringes on residents' constitutional rights, including the First Amendment right to free speech, and targets marginalized groups such as the homeless. 'As far as we can tell, it's only been enforced against poor and presumptively homeless people who've been asking for money,' said Dante P. Trevisani, an attorney with the institute. The lawsuit adds that the ordinance's definition of 'aggressive' is vague and therefore unconstitutional. The city has not yet responded to the lawsuit in court, and a city spokesperson did not provide a response to the allegations when contacted by the Miami Herald. The plaintiffs in the case, Patrick Mazzone, Albert Steve Sandlin and Andrew Biess, have all been arrested for violating the ordinance. Several arrest reports cited them as 'disrupting the flow of traffic' by panhandling. The three men are all longtime Miami residents who have experienced homelessness and rely on donations to make a living, according to the complaint. The city's 'punitive measures … perpetuate a cycle where homeless persons accrue fines they cannot pay, often leading to arrest and further barriers to stable employment and housing,' Florida Justice Institute attorneys argue in court documents. Each of the plaintiffs said they wish to continue to request donations but have 'been continually harassed and threatened by the police with arrest' and fear being arrested again under the ordinance. The legality of panhandling has been debated heavily in recent years. Several lawsuits have been filed across the country regarding similar laws, including in New Mexico, Alabama and New Hampshire. Lawsuits have also been filed across Florida in places like Seminole County, Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Jacksonville. While courts have allowed cities to put certain regulations on panhandling, they have also blocked laws that inhibit the right to free speech, according to the nonpartisan Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University. Previous cases This is not the first time the city of Miami has been sued by the Florida Justice Institute. In December 2023, the organization sued the city over another panhandling ordinance that applied to the downtown core — an ordinance that had been declared unconstitutional in 2017, according to a press release from the institute. The city ultimately repealed the ordinance. Willie White, who was 65 at the time of the 2023 lawsuit, served as the plaintiff in that case. He had been arrested twice for panhandling in the span of a month. The city eventually settled with White for $45,000. In a different case, four plaintiffs experiencing homelessness sued the city in 2022 after city workers trashed their personal belongings, which included government identification, medication, family photos and an urn with a parent's ashes, the Herald previously reported. The city eventually paid a $300,000 settlement for that case in 2024.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Upside-down American flags hung as hundreds protest US Forest Service cuts at RMNP
DENVER (KDVR) — Hundreds peacefully protested the impacts to the National Park Service outside the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center at Rocky Mountain National Park on Saturday. Some of the protestors hung upside-down American flags from Eagle Cliff, which is private property near the park. Colorado advocates say impacts of National Park Service layoffs will be 'visceral' An upside-down American flag has been a form of protest for decades, according to the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University. A similar act was reported at El Capitan in Yosemite National Park earlier this week, and on Friday, an upside-down American flag was also hung from the 2nd flatiron. It's far from the first protest regarding federal layoffs, which have been determined under Executive Order 14210: The Department of Government Efficiency 'Workforce Optimization Initiative.' Local advocates with the National Parks Conservation Association told FOX31 on Friday that the NFS was given the green light to continue its seasonal hiring, but many positions were still eliminated at Colorado parks. 'It means shorter visitors hours, delayed openings, closed campgrounds, maintenance needs are going to pile up, trash will pile up. It's going to be visceral,' said Tracy Coppola, the National Parks Conservation Association's Colorado senior program manager. Coppola also said that in 2023, gateway communities saw almost $800 million in spending from the approximately 7.3 million park visitors who come to Colorado. It's still unclear how many employees have been — or will be — fired — one group of nearly 500 outdoor-industry organizations said in a letter to Congress that between the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Forest Service and the National Park Service, approximately 5,700 people have lost their jobs. Other protests found Saturday were not in-person: The sign board for the Dry Lake Trailhead parking lot at Buffalo Pass greeted snowmobilers with a number of 'for sale' signs, and a central sign encouraging citizens to call their representatives and 'Keep public lands public.' Witnesses told Shannon Lukens, of Steamboat Radio, that U.S. Forest Service staff was there and saw the signs, which were gone before noon on Saturday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Upside-down American flag hung briefly from 2nd flatiron amid NOAA, NWS layoffs
DENVER (KDVR) — The city of Boulder removed an American flag that was hung upside down from the 2nd flatiron on Friday afternoon. An upside-down American flag has been a form of protest for decades, according to the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University. A similar act was reported at El Capitan in Yosemite National Park earlier this week. Federal layoffs hit Colorado's Veteran Affairs system, leaving veterans worried The flatirons are close to the National Science Foundation's National Center for Atmospheric Research, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office and the National Weather Service Office in Boulder. Earlier this week, NOAA began the process of firing hundreds of probationary workers in the latest of sweeping federal layoffs encouraged by the Department of Government Efficiency, which is led by billionaire Elon Musk. FOX31 reached out to Phillip Yates, spokesperson for the city of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, who said the city values and respects displays of the American flag in the community. 'However, our open space lands are managed with specific purposes, including preserving and protecting natural areas. To maintain this mission, we consistently remove abandoned or unauthorized items and displays—including flags—to ensure these areas remain open and welcoming for all visitors,' Yates said via email. 'This approach has been applied consistently, including the removal of an American flag following the Boulder mass shooting in 2021.' 'As a result, the city removed the flag on the 2nd Flatiron around 1:45 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, following past practices,' Yates continued. 'We are not aware of other items being found other than the flag. We believe the flag is abandoned property, and in this circumstance, we do not plan to issue a citation.' Colorado prepares for impact of mass layoffs on federal civilian workforce He also noted that he is not informed about the legality of the flag's placement, but said the city has not filed charges in similar situations in the past. 'The city will make reasonable efforts to identify the flag owner and return it to them,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
American flag hung upside down in Yosemite National Park in protest over layoffs
A "distress" signal hung on one of Yosemite National Park's most iconic sites by staff members was done in protest of recent layoffs by the Trump administration. The inverted Stars and Stripes hung on the side of El Capitan, a 3,000-foot wall of sheer granite, on Saturday, Feb. 22. Anand K Sankaran captured footage, and told media-gathering website Storyful the flag was hung upside-down just before "firefall," a period of time when the small waterfall Horsetail Fall "can glow orange when it's backlit by sunset," the park's website says. The symbol of protest was done by park staffers, media outlets report. The practice dates back at least 50 years, according to the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University. White House Will Not Release Visitor Logs During Trump's Second Term "We're bringing attention to what's happening to the parks, which are every American's properties," Gavin Carpenter, a Yosemite maintenance mechanic and disabled military veteran who assisted Saturday, told the San Francisco Chronicle. Read On The Fox News App "It's super important we take care of them, and we're losing people here, and it's not sustainable if we want to keep the parks open," he continued. Conservatives See Pro-maga Youth Shift As Vp Vance Vows To 'Fight' For Younger Generation Last week, the Trump administration fired about 1,000 newly hired National Park Service employees who maintain and clean parks, educate visitors and perform other functions as part of its broad-based effort to downsize government, the Associated Press reported. Facing outcry, the administration plans to restore at least 50 jobs across the parks. The park service also said in a new memo it will hire more seasonal workers than normal. The park service has about 20,000 employees. At least a dozen of those who lost their jobs worked at Yosemite. Neither the White House nor National Park Service responded to Fox News Digital requests for comment. Flying a flag upside down is traditionally a sign of "dire distress," the United States Flag Code states. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Original article source: American flag hung upside down in Yosemite National Park in protest over layoffs
