The New York City Fire Department’s Ladder Company 11 was recently ordered to remove the Thin Red Line American Flag honoring the firefighters killed in the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center. new york post report.
The department issued the order March 22 after Democratic Manhattan City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera’s office confronted Ladder Company 11 over so-called politically charged symbols.
In a March 19 email, Rivera’s office asked the FDNY whether the fire department had displayed flags with “political symbols.”
“I am writing on behalf of my constituents regarding the thin blue and red line flags that were placed on Ladder 11 last week (and prior to January 20),” Rivera’s office wrote to the department. It was sent. “When I asked him what it meant, he claimed it was to honor the fallen firefighters, but he brought up that he could have used the FDNY flag instead of a political symbol.”
“It is his and our understanding that private political symbols are not permitted to be displayed on public vehicles,” her office continued. “Can I see if there is a violation flag/symbol on Ladder 11?”
The flag was flown on the fire department’s fire truck in honor of the six people killed on 9/11: Lt. Michael Quilty and firefighters Michael Cammarata, Edward Day, John Hefferman, Richard Kelly Jr., and Matthew Logan. It was posted next to a memorial placard honoring him. .
A few days after the email, a man claiming to be one of Mr. Rivera’s employees arrived at the fire station, calling the flag a “fascist symbol” and asking why it was still flying, sources told The Post. He reportedly demanded to know.
Following the confrontation with the alleged employee, FDNY Deputy Chief Joseph Cirali went to the fire station and ordered responding personnel to move from fire truck to fire truck for violating the department’s prohibition on “tampering” with the American flag. I asked him to take it down. The ban was enacted in 2020 by then-Chief Daniel Nigro and First Deputy Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh amid the Black Lives Matter anti-police movement, sources told The Post. .
The newspaper reported that Shirari was reluctant to order the removal of the national flag, calling it “ridiculous.”
“This flag means a lot to us,” a firefighter with Ladder Company 11 told news outlets.
“I hope [Rivera’s office] “Before we were asked to take it down, we would have been like, ‘Hey, we want to know the flag and what it represents,'” said another firefighter.
Rivera told the Post that the initial complaints came from constituents, not from her staff.
“We have not heard anything further from the FDNY and have not taken any additional action in this matter,” Rivera said in a statement regarding the email sent by his office. She said, “My relationship with Ladder 11 has always been strong.”
Hours after ordering its removal, current commissioners Kavanaugh and John Hodgens reversed their decision and allowed the flag to be flown again.
A Ladder 11 firefighter told the Post: “We’re happy with the outcome, but we’re angry that this happened in the first place.”
New York City Councilmember Joan Arriola (Republican) responded to the news. X“I personally want to thank @FDNY Secretary John Hodgens for taking a bold stand last week and ordering the Thin Red Line flag back to Ladder 11,” he wrote.
“We live in an era of increasing political pressure to conform to particular ideologies, ideologies that seek to censor and shame anyone or anything who might dare to oppose their positions. Secretary Hodgens has shown great personal courage by defying the will of some vocal extremists” in government and when political forces are organizing against him. But we restored that flag,” Arriola continued. “Thank you, Secretary Hodgens, for doing the right thing. May his honor and courage be contagious and spread throughout our city. We definitely need it.”
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