Latest news with #ThinBlueLine
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State restricts which flags can be displayed in schools, government buildings
The rainbow flag of the gay pride movement and the flag of the United States flying in the sky. (Photo by Getty Images) It's now against the law for a teacher in a school to hang a Pride flag in their classroom. House Bill 819, brought by Flathead Republican Rep. Braxton Mitchell, puts strict stipulations on what flags can be displayed at schools and other government buildings. Gov. Greg Gianforte signed the legislation late last week. It's unclear what penalties, if any, there will be for violation of the law. 'Allowing nongovernmental or politically charged symbols on state property creates inconsistency in enforcement, legal challenges, and public divisiveness, undermining the neutrality and inclusivity of government spaces,' the law reads. The bill passed along party lines in both the House and Senate. During his testimony for the bill, Mitchell said it was about fairness and neutrality in government. 'I don't think in Flathead County they should be flying a Trump flag,' Mitchell said. 'I don't think in Missoula County they should be flying a Kamala Harris flag.' The flags that are now allowed include the United States flag, as well as Montana's, and any other state, city, tribal, and military flag. There's also a specific stipulation which states: 'Flags honoring law enforcement officers, military service members, and public service organizations provide appropriate, nonpolitical recognition of their contributions to public safety and national defense.' It's unclear if that includes the Thin Blue Line flag, which honors law enforcement but can be viewed as political. That flag wasn't brought up in either hearing. The flag law also says any 'federally recognized' nation's flag can be flown as well as school mascots. So while Taiwan's flag could not be flown, a high school football team is protected if they run onto the field before a game with their flag. And, since Iran and North Korea are recognized as nations by the federal government, those flags technically could be displayed under the new law. It is, however, unclear if a Confederate flag would be protected as it is both politically charged, and a flag of historical significance, for which the law has a stipulation. The Gadsden flag — or the 'Don't Tread on Me' flag — is specifically protected under the law. Other questions, such as if a flag in support of a labor group would be allowed, are unanswered in the new law. Opponents of the bill, which included ACLU Montana and the Montana Gender Alliance, pointed to some of the questions the bill left open. 'It's broad and contradictory, which means that certain beliefs are able to be promoted over others,' said Henry Seaton, an ACLU lobbyist who testified against the bill. 'It eliminates the ability for people to show support for particular, marginalized communities.' Other states, including Idaho and Utah, have passed similar legislation. Some cities in those states have pushed back, with Salt Lake City adopting three new city flags to circumvent the law: One in support of the city's Black and African American residents, a trans flag rights and a Pride flag. Classrooms were also a target, something Mitchell had on his mind during the hearings for HB 819. He said that teachers were acting as 'state officials' in the classroom and pointed to his experience. 'I know when I went to school in 2018 they had Black Lives Matter flags,' Mitchell testified to the Senate State Administration Committee on April 2. 'I don't think that's something that should be something that should be pushed in a school. There were some teachers that had pride flags.' While Mitchell says court cases back up the state's ability to regulate speech in public buildings, students, at least, don't lose their rights at the schoolhouse gate, which the U.S. Supreme Court found in Tinker vs. Des Moines. The bill says it does 'not infringe on private speech or individual expression, as they apply solely to government-controlled displays, ensuring personal freedoms remain intact while maintaining a neutral public environment.' It's unclear how this law will be enacted in schools. Missoula County Public Schools Superintendent Micah Hill said his district will follow the law. In an email, he said no flags have been taken down. He added he assumed 'that if we're out of compliance, we would request that any flag as defined by the new law be taken down.' The state's public universities and colleges could also be impacted by the law, though they're not specifically mentioned in the legislation. Montana State University school officials referred questions on the law to the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education. In Montana, the state Constitution gives the Board of Regents the authority to supervise the Montana University System, but the Commissioner's Office did not respond to a question Tuesday seeking comment on the legislation. Flags have been a topic of conversation in Bozeman before. In 2021, an MSU student living in university housing displayed a Black Lives Matter flag in plain view outside of a window. The student was told to take it down because it was a 'fire hazard' and briefly did, before putting it back up. It's likely not to impact the University of Montana, UM spokesperson Dave Kuntz said, who added they'd been in contact with the Commissioner's Office about the new law. The flags UM flies are already on the list outlined in the new law. He said the university does not plan to regulate flags in offices or in dorm rooms. 'That's just an area of personal privacy,' Kuntz said. 'As the law is passed right now, it just doesn't have a large impact on the campus.'
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What does Idaho's new law say about pro-police flags? This town found out
Idaho's new flag law, which has been skirted by some cities, has affected a Treasure Valley town that traditionally flew a pro-police flag. The law, passed by the Idaho Legislature this year to limit which flags government entities may display, led the Parma Police Department to stop displaying its Thin Blue Line flag, which is a black-and-white American flag with one blue stripe. The name refers to the idea that police officers are the thin line between order and chaos in society. So far, there have been varying reactions to that decision. 'We still represent the Thin Blue Line and always will. We just can't fly the flag. It's not a big deal,' Parma Police Chief Robert Topie said. 'I've had people mention that they think it's ridiculous that we can't fly it.' Boise and Bonners Ferry recently found ways to get around the law, which bans most flags from flying on government property, but left several exceptions, including for 'the official flag of a governmental entity' and for other countries' flags that commemorate special occasions. Boise's mayor and City Council made two flags, including the Pride flag, official city flags to keep them on the poles outside City Hall. At about the same time, Bonners Ferry's council created a year-round 'special occasion' to keep flying the Canadian flag. The law technically does not have any enforcement mechanism, so there's no way to penalize cities for not following the code. Creating a workaround was never a discussion in Parma, Topie said. 'It seems so ridiculous and like a waste of everybody's time. It is a flag,' Topie said. 'The whole thing. Why are we wasting our time to make issues over nothing that mean nothing to nobody?' The Idaho Attorney General's Office reached out to all three cities, including sending a warning letter to Boise in mid-April. In Parma, Topie said he'd already taken the flag down around the end of April before the AG's office called. Idaho's state statute doesn't define what a flag is, according to Ada County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Lauren Montague, who said the office was relying on the Oxford dictionary definition. 'Based on that definition, we do not consider images or representations of the Thin Blue Line — such as decals, challenge coins, or artwork made of metal or wood — to be flags,' Montague said in an email. Throughout the valley, Thin Blue Line displays are popular with law enforcement, including in Ada County. The Sheriff's Office has a few pieces of artwork in 'secure, nonpublic' areas, Montague said. Many were given to the office after Deputy Tobin Bolter was killed last year, she said. In Caldwell, there's a Thin Blue Line flag art piece gifted by a local school near officers' lockers, spokesperson Char Jackson said. In Nampa, there are multiple Thin Blue Line flags in government buildings, spokesperson Carmen Boeger said. Often, they take the form of wooden artwork, she said. The Meridian Police Department has several art pieces with the imagery, according to spokesperson Jordan Robinson. None of those cities heard from the AG's office, their spokespeople told the Statesman. 'No displays at Kuna City Hall have been or will be removed at this time,' spokesperson Zulema Montenegro said. Rose Evans contributed reporting. Boise adds two official flags in latest jab at Legislature's new law Boise-area sheriff criticizes a new Idaho law he says police can't enforce
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Patrick Lyoya supporters march in Grand Rapids after mistrial
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — After gathering outside the Kent County courthouse in downtown Grand Rapids Thursday evening, protesters took to the streets to march. It comes after a in the murder case against former police officer Christopher Schurr. An active group of demonstrators chanted things like 'Justice for Patrick' and 'All Black lives matter.' Someone beat a drum and some passing vehicles honked their horns. People held signs that read things like 'Convict Schurr,' 'No justice, no peace' and 'Justice for Patrick.' At one point, the group put their fists up as a song played. They marched from the courthouse to the Grand Rapids Police Department headquarters and back. They sometimes encountered GRPD and Michigan State Police officers on bicycles, who told them to stay on the sidewalk. Lyoya family after case is declared mistrial: 'We will keep fighting until we get justice' One supporter said the group had planned to rally after a verdict was reached, but even though there's no verdict, people came anyway to show their support for the Lyoya family after the mistrial. 'I was very angry, I was very upset. I guess, in a way, I'll take this over an acquittal as long as a retrial does happen. In my opinion, I think this case is very cut and dry. I think this officer deserves to be punished for killing Patrick Lyoya. But I just hope that this process doesn't take another three years,' said supporter Aly Bates. No decision yet on whether to retry Christopher Schurr As Kent County Commissioner Robert Womack stood in front of a classic American flag, he asked people to recall the flag Schurr demonstrators had been carrying the last two weeks outside the courthouse. 'What color was that flag? Blue, white and black. That flag is sometimes also at the Grand Rapids Police Department. That means when they killed Patrick Lyoya, they're not doing it under the American flag that we're all united under — they're doing it under the blue, white and black flag.' He called for the removal of 'Thin Blue Line' flags on all taxpayer-funded city property. 'If there is any flag being flown in any city property besides the United States flag, then the red, black and green flag should be there, the LGBTQ flag should be there … every flag that represents the cloth of our humanity here should be in that city building,' Womack said. 'If there is any flag being flown at that police station other than the taxpayers' flag, it's got to go,' he said, while leading a chant. 'It's got to go! It's got to go!' West Michigan pastors after mistrial: 'Justice must not be selective' 'We have to dismantle their train of thought because every building and every police officer's gun is paid for by your tax dollars,' Womack added. 'Have they forgot who they work for?' Emotions have been high all week as jury deliberations continued. On , officers intervened and one person was taken into custody as demonstrators got loud outside the courthouse. After 4 p.m., a person was arrested outside of the Kent County courthouse in Grand Rapids. News 8 was told that this person was an anti-Lyoya heckler. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
