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New York Times
24-02-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Protesters Display Upside-Down American Flag at Yosemite
A small group of protesters hung an inverted American flag — historically used as a sign of distress — off the side of El Capitan, a towering rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on Saturday, hoping to draw attention to the Trump administration's cuts to the National Park Service. The upside-down flag drew widespread attention on social media because hundreds of visitors were photographing an annual phenomenon in the park known as firefall, when the setting sun causes a seasonal waterfall on El Capitan to glow orange. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the flag, measuring 30 feet by 50 feet, was displayed by a group of frustrated Park Service workers, some of whom rappelled down the side of El Capitan, which rises more than 3,000 feet above the base of Yosemite Valley. The protest organizers could not immediately be reached on Monday. One of them, Gavin Carpenter, told The Chronicle that he was a maintenance mechanic at Yosemite and a disabled military veteran who had supplied the flag. 'We're bringing attention to what's happening to the parks, which are every American's properties,' Mr. Carpenter said. '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.' The National Park Service did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday. The protest came as demonstrations have been held at other national parks across the country, including at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and Joshua Tree National Park in California. The protesters have been taking aim at the Trump administration's decision to abruptly fire at least 1,000 Park Service employees as part of a wave of layoffs across the federal work force. At least 3,000 additional people have been fired from the U.S. Forest Service, which often works in concert with the Park Service. The administration has also dismissed thousands of federal workers, including Park Service and Forest Service employees, who were on a probationary status, generally because they had started their jobs within the preceding 12 months. On Saturday, some of the fired workers marched at Yosemite, holding protest signs and chanting slogans, including, 'Hey! Hey! Ho! Ho! Elon Musk has got to go!' Current and former employees say the Park Service was already underfunded and understaffed before the Trump administration's recent cuts. The layoffs, they say, will deplete the services that hundreds of millions of people expect when they visit the national parks — reducing everything from the hours and cleanliness of visitor centers and restrooms to the availability of experienced guides. Several people who saw the upside-down flag as they were gathering to see the firefall said that word had spread through the crowd that it was intended to be a protest against the Trump administration's cuts. Amber Walker, 26, who lives in Reno, Nev., and has visited more than 30 national parks, called it 'one of the most brave things I've seen in person.' She said others in the area who had reserved spots to see the firefall were also moved. Michelle Treseler, 39, who lives in Marin County, Calif., said she and her husband, Jon Adams, saw the flag after they had returned from a hike and were preparing to see their fourth firefall. 'Honestly, when I looked up, I felt inspired,' Ms. Treseler said. 'I feel like our national parks are national treasures, and they need to be protected, as does our democracy. It was a call to action and a call for hope.'
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Group claims responsibility for hanging upside-down Stars and Stripes off of El Capitan in Yosemite
Yosemite National Park staffers claimed responsibility for an upside-down American flag being hung thousands of feet in the air to protest the Trump administration's 'attack' against public lands and mass layoffs of federal staff. Thousands of visitors descended on California's Sierra Nevada mountain range as the so-called 'Distress flag' fluttered in the wind 3,000ft above the valley floor off the top of El Capitan, the tallest exposed vertical face of granite on Earth. A group of six demonstrators rigged ropes and rappelled down the cliff face to unfurl the 30 by 50ft flag on Saturday. The stunt was timed with the last weekend of the annual Firefall spectacle where the setting sun causes Horsetail Falls to take on a fiery orange glow. The upside-down flag was intentionally hung close to the waterfall. 'We're bringing attention to what's happening to the parks, which are every American's properties,' Gavin Carpenter, a Yosemite maintenance mechanic who supplied and helped hang the flag, told the San Francisco Chronicle. '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.' Eleven of Yosemite's full-time staff members, including the park's sole locksmith and a biologist received a termination email on February 14 – as did 1,000 permanent National Park Service employees across the country after the Trump administration directed federal agencies to carry out widespread layoffs. At least 50 jobs that were originally cut are already being restored to help maintain and clean parks, educate visitors and collect admission fees, reports the Associated Press. Many of Yosemite's staffers live in employer-provided housing inside the national park. 'Since these cuts came, a lot of people are really uneasy and worried about what's going to happen to them,' Carpenter said. Historically, the upside-down flag represented an apolitical symbol of distress or national threat. It has been appropriated by both the left and right in protest – from those who expressed dissent with the overturning of Roe v. Wade to Donald Trump's MAGA supporters who contested the result of the 2020 election. Park visitors who saw the flag flying offered mixed responses. 'At first thought the upside-down flag was for Trump support, but then realized it was to support the national parks, and I was for it,' Las Vegas resident Tina Alidio told The Chronicle. 'I would rather see nature, contested Rebecca Harvey of Mariposa County, adding: 'No hand of man.' Shortly after hanging the banner, Yosemite National Park Service released a statement, claiming their display was a protest on behalf of public land. 'The purpose of this exercise of free speech is to disrupt without violence and draw attention to the fact that public lands in the United States are under attack,' it read. 'Firing 1,000s of staff regardless of position or performance across the nation is the first step in destabilizing the protections in place for these great places.' It continued: 'These losses, while deeply personal and impactful, may also be invisible to visitors and members of the public – we are shining a spotlight on them by putting a distress flag on El Capitan in view of Firefall. Think of it as your public lands on strike.'
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Upside-down U.S flag hung at Yosemite National Park to protest employee cuts
Nature lovers flock to Yosemite National Park every February to witness the majestic "firefall" event, but this year's crowds were met a different spectacle: an upside-down American flag hung on a summit to protest the Trump administration's cuts of national park service employees. The flag was hung on the top of the famed El Capitan summit, a 3,000-foot vertical rock formation in Mariposa County, California, on Saturday evening by a group of upset Yosemite employees. An upside-down American flag is traditionally a sign of 'dire distress,' according to the United States Flag Code. The demonstration came at a time when all eyes are on the summit for the firefall viewing event — a phenomenon that unfolds in February when Horsetail Falls, a seasonal waterfall on the east side of El Capitan, takes on an orange, lava-like glow as the sun sets. The event attracts a flurry of photographers who wait hours for the perfect shot. 'We're bringing attention to what's happening to the parks, which are every American's properties,' Gavin Carpenter, a maintenance mechanic at the park who supplied the flag, told The San Francisco Chronicle. '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.' The Trump administration cut 1,000 jobs at the National Park Service earlier this month in a push to cut federal bureaucracy and spending. Impacted national park and forest employees say fewer workers will lead to longer lines, filthy bathrooms and unsafe hiking and camping conditions at America's precious public lands. For many, the job already paid a low salary, compensated by breathtaking views and sunsets. Photographer Brittany Colt snapped the view of the upside-down flag next to the firefall. 'This hit so close to home for me. I witnessed several of my friends lose their jobs overnight while leaving our public lands vulnerable. These people had very valuable jobs, such as Search and Rescue and keeping the restrooms and park clean for visitors. If we lose the public servants, the park experience will get only harder and potentially more dangerous for visitors,' she wrote on her Instagram story. Alex Wild, a former Yosemite and and the only certified EMT ranger at Devils Postpile National Monument in California, told NBC's Morgan Chesky last week: 'I'm the only person available to rescue someone, to do CPR, to carry them out from a trail if they got injured.' He said without him, people will likely wait hours for local first responders to arrive. 'It could mean life or death for someone who's having an emergency,' Wild said. The Trump administration later said it would restore at least 50 jobs to maintain and clean parks, and would hire nearly 3,000 additional seasonal workers following backlash over the cuts, The Associated Press article was originally published on
The Independent
24-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Group claims responsibility for hanging upside-down Stars and Stripes off of El Capitan in Yosemite
Yosemite National Park staffers claimed responsibility for an upside-down American flag being hung thousands of feet in the air to protest the Trump administration 's 'attack' against public lands and mass layoffs of federal staff. Thousands of visitors descended on California 's Sierra Nevada mountain range as the so-called 'Distress flag' fluttered in the wind 3,000ft above the valley floor off the top of El Capitan, the tallest exposed vertical face of granite on Earth. A group of six demonstrators rigged ropes and rappelled down the cliff face to unfurl the 30 by 50ft flag on Saturday. The stunt was timed with the last weekend of the annual Firefall spectacle where the setting sun causes Horsetail Falls to take on a fiery orange glow. The upside-down flag was intentionally hung close to the waterfall. 'We're bringing attention to what's happening to the parks, which are every American's properties,' Gavin Carpenter, a Yosemite maintenance mechanic who supplied and helped hang the flag, told the San Francisco Chronicle. '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.' Eleven of Yosemite's full-time staff members, including the park's sole locksmith and a biologist received a termination email on February 14 – as did 1,000 permanent National Park Service employees across the country after the Trump administration directed federal agencies to carry out widespread layoffs. At least 50 jobs that were originally cut are already being restored to help maintain and clean parks, educate visitors and collect admission fees, reports the Associated Press. Many of Yosemite's staffers live in employer-provided housing inside the national park. 'Since these cuts came, a lot of people are really uneasy and worried about what's going to happen to them,' Carpenter said. Historically, the upside-down flag represented an apolitical symbol of distress or national threat. It has been appropriated by both the left and right in protest – from those who expressed dissent with the overturning of Roe v. Wade to Donald Trump 's MAGA supporters who contested the result of the 2020 election. Park visitors who saw the flag flying offered mixed responses. 'At first thought the upside-down flag was for Trump support, but then realized it was to support the national parks, and I was for it,' Las Vegas resident Tina Alidio told The Chronicle. 'I would rather see nature, contested Rebecca Harvey of Mariposa County, adding: 'No hand of man.' Shortly after hanging the banner, Yosemite National Park Service released a statement, claiming their display was a protest on behalf of public land. 'The purpose of this exercise of free speech is to disrupt without violence and draw attention to the fact that public lands in the United States are under attack,' it read. 'Firing 1,000s of staff regardless of position or performance across the nation is the first step in destabilizing the protections in place for these great places.' It continued: 'These losses, while deeply personal and impactful, may also be invisible to visitors and members of the public – we are shining a spotlight on them by putting a distress flag on El Capitan in view of Firefall. Think of it as your public lands on strike.'
NBC News
24-02-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Upside-down U.S flag hung at Yosemite National Park to protest employee cuts
Nature lovers flock to Yosemite National Park every February to witness the majestic "firefall" event, but this year's crowds were met a different spectacle: an upside-down American flag hung on a summit to protest the Trump administration's cuts of national park service employees. The flag was hung on the top of the famed El Capitan summit, a 3,000-foot vertical rock formation in Mariposa County, California, on Saturday evening by a group of upset Yosemite employees. An upside-down American flag is traditionally a sign of 'dire distress,' according to the United States Flag Code. The demonstration came at a time when all eyes are on the summit for the firefall viewing event — a phenomenon that unfolds in February when Horsetail Falls, a seasonal waterfall on the east side of El Capitan, takes on an orange, lava-like glow as the sun sets. The event attracts a flurry of photographers who wait hours for the perfect shot. 'We're bringing attention to what's happening to the parks, which are every American's properties,' Gavin Carpenter, a maintenance mechanic at the park who supplied the flag, told The San Francisco Chronicle. '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.' The Trump administration cut 1,000 jobs at the National Park Service earlier this month in a push to cut federal bureaucracy and spending. Impacted national park and forest employees say fewer workers will lead to longer lines, filthy bathrooms and unsafe hiking and camping conditions at America's precious public lands. For many, the job already paid a low salary, compensated by breathtaking views and sunsets. Photographer Brittany Colt snapped the view of the upside-down flag next to the firefall. 'This hit so close to home for me. I witnessed several of my friends lose their jobs overnight while leaving our public lands vulnerable. These people had very valuable jobs, such as Search and Rescue and keeping the restrooms and park clean for visitors. If we lose the public servants, the park experience will get only harder and potentially more dangerous for visitors,' she wrote on her Instagram story. Alex Wild, a former Yosemite and and the only certified EMT ranger at Devils Postpile National Monument in California, told NBC's Morgan Chesky last week: 'I'm the only person available to rescue someone, to do CPR, to carry them out from a trail if they got injured.' He said without him, people will likely wait hours for local first responders to arrive. 'It could mean life or death for someone who's having an emergency,' Wild said. The Trump administration later said it would restore at least 50 jobs to maintain and clean parks, and would hire nearly 3,000 additional seasonal workers following backlash over the cuts, reported.
