The St. Sabina Church neighborhood raised an upside-down American flag Monday morning to protest current coverage selections from the Trump administration.
“What we’re seeing in America just isn’t and can’t be accepted or normalized,” the Rev. Michael Pfleger, St. Sabina’s senior pastor, informed the handfuls who gathered outdoors the Auburn Gresham church.
Amongst his grievances: shedding hundreds of federal staff; demonizing and deporting immigrants; pardoning Jan. 6 rioters; threatening cuts to Medicaid and Medicare; shutting down the Division of Schooling; and ending range, fairness and inclusion packages.
“These are solely the start of an extended listing of why America is in misery,” he mentioned. “This isn’t regular. This isn’t acceptable. And we’ll stand up, and we’ll resist.”
An upside-down flag alerts misery, and Pfleger mentioned the flag outdoors St. Sabina will keep inverted “so long as this nation is below siege.”
No less than a dozen veterans joined within the flag-raising, together with Rochelle Crump, an Military veteran who served with the Ladies’s Military Corps throughout the Vietnam Battle period.
“We might have by no means seen ourselves standing right here at this time to boost the flag the other way up,” Crump mentioned. “For a few years, we have now held it as a sacred piece to what it meant to America. However at this time, we’re right here as a result of America is below misery.”
Lane Knox, one other veteran who served within the Air Pressure as a jet engine mechanic, mentioned she’s at all times revered the American flag and what it stands for. However she helps elevating it the other way up to “wake folks up.”
“They speak about woke. That is the place they should be woke,” Knox mentioned. “ I hate what the president is doing to harmless immigrants, to harmless poor folks and harmless individuals who want the assistance of the federal government. That’s what we fought for within the navy.”
Veteran Esteban Burgoa was amongst three counterprotesters who confirmed up earlier than Pfleger raised the upside-down flag. He mentioned the transfer disrespects veterans, and the flag ought to be handled as an apolitical image.
“Lots of people have died for this flag,” mentioned Burgoa, holding a big American flag. “The USA flag has nothing to do with politics, has nothing to do with Trump, has nothing to do with no person. It’s for freedom and liberty.”
An upside-down flag was additionally flown Saturday over El Capitan in Yosemite Nationwide Park by park staff protesting cuts to the federal workforce, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
