When they were ordered by the city to take down “Thin Blue Line” flags from the fire engine, Hingham Firefighters Local 2390 refused to comply.
The controversial Blue Lives Matter flag has become the center of a dispute between the firefighter’s union and town officials.
Many view the flag as a sign of bigotry and hatred that was produced in response to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Not long after the firefighters refused to remove the flags were cops forced to show up and carry pout the city leaders’ directive instead.
The union said in a Facebook post:
“We were aware of an impending order to remove the flags from the apparatus,” the post read.
“We did not want to risk the chance of having these flags removed from the trucks in a disrespectful manner. The decision was made to conduct the removal of the flags on our own terms to provide the highest level of respect that they deserve,” the post continued.
Unfortunately, it’s unclear why the issue became a police matter which required their involvement beyond city officials asking for the flags to be removed.
Thankfully, the flags ended up being donated to the Weymouth Police Department (WPD) to honor Police Sergeant Michael Chesna, who had been murdered in the line of duty on July 15, 2018.
According to the union, the flags had been posted from the town’s fire engine in honor of the anniversary of Sgt. Chesna’s death:
“The flags were recently put on the apparatus leading up to the anniversary of the senseless murder of officer Michael Chesna in our neighboring community of Weymouth,” the union said in the post.
“We continued to fly the flags after the anniversary in support of the law enforcement officers in our own community, as well as all law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line every day.”
The union made sure to state that the flags did not represent a “political statement…nor was it an attempt to show support for, or against, any specific political party or advocacy group.
Sadly however, critics still felt the need to complain to the city, claiming that flying the flags from the fire engine “was a violation of a town policy.”
Reports detailed that the Board of Selectmen had also demanded an end to the “ceaseless and vicious” harassment of the complainant:
“In the last week he has received numerous threats against his property and his life. The harassment is ceaseless and vicious. And it has recently expanded to target the welfare and safety of his family.
“Such conduct debases any attempt at public discourse and makes hypocrites of those who would call for respect for public safety officers while simultaneously threatening the safety of others.
“When petitioning the Board of Selectmen leads to name calling, character assassination, intimidation and threats of physical violence, this only serves to deface all flags that we might choose to display in honor of our peace officers.”
In a post online, the union shared that they had repeatedly asked for a cope of the policy its members had supposedly violated, but “have been met with silence”:
“The past few days have been very disappointing for the members of Local 2398. Our disappointment began with the decision that the ‘Thin Blue Line’ flags should be removed from our apparatus. That feeling has continued over the past few days, as our repeated requests for a copy of the policy that we have allegedly violated, have been met with silence. The firefighters of Local 2398 display the highest level of professionalism and respect at all times, and it is disheartening to not have that reciprocated.
“Despite the frustration this has caused, the community has responded with an overwhelming outpouring of support for the members of Local 2398, Hingham Police officers, Weymouth Police officers, and the Chesna family. The voices of support have far outweighed the voices of opposition. It is abundantly clear the vast majority of people support the thin blue line for exactly what it represents.
“The ‘Thin Blue Line’ has existed for over 100 years. It has always, and will always, represent the men and women of law enforcement that hold the line between peace and chaos. Especially those who have bravely made the ultimate sacrifice during the performance of these heroic duties. We stand by our initial statement that this has no political message for one reason, and one reason only, because honoring the sacrifices made by the men and women of law enforcement is not political. Period.
“It should also be noted that several instances of material that could be viewed as ‘political’ in nature have been found throughout the Town of Hingham. Many times on town owned property. It is our position that if this policy does exist, it should be enforced in all instances. It should not be based on whether or not a resident finds it offensive.
“At this time the Hingham Firefighters of Local 2398 respectfully request the town reconsider their decision to deem these flags as political statements. Otherwise, we regret to inform you that over the past 4 days no member of Local 2398 was able to sacrifice his or her moral fortitude in order to remove the flags from the apparatus. As we said before, our support for our brothers and sisters in blue is unwavering. The flags have continued to fly with honor every day. They will have to be removed by someone other than a member of this union.”
The post was signed, “In Solidarity, Hingham Firefighters Local 2398, Lt. Chris Melanson, Local 2398 President.”
Thankfully the local community has shown the union “an overwhelming outpouring of support.”
Sources: Awm, Hinghamanchor, Policetribune
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