The Washington mayor scold LQBTQ+ activists and was allowed to fly over city halls with war prisoners/missing flags, but the Pride flags were not.
Newcastle Mayor Robert Clark was criticised by activists at the hearing Tuesday night after citizens, about 12 miles from Seattle, were angry at the council's decision last year and to stop flying at city hall during Pride Meng.
Towards the end of 3-hour sessionwho stood in front of the council, calling Clark “disgusting” and claimed that he and some elected city officials were trying to “deceive” people from believing they could not fly a flag of pride by flying the flag of Pow/Mia.
“Eighty-two,000 Americans are registered as Pows and Mias, but there is a minimum of 20 million LGBTQ members,” the activist said.
“I've spoken about hypocrisy before, and I think you're really tired of your approach to trying to fool people from having to fly a Pride Flag in June by making sure the Pow-Mia flag is flying.”
She then told Clark and the council that they should be “shamed” of the decision.
When she left the podium, her comments sparked a fire within Clark, who quickly called out her for hinting that his city was using the flag as a “political stunt.”
“It's not common for me to respond to public comments, but I'm not going to sit here and let someone tell me that veterans are political stunts.
“The country was established as veterans lost their lives and hundreds of thousands of people died in this country.
Clark then told the woman not to “disgrace the veterans” again in his presence.
“The 82,000 people who have never returned home will never have a family or opportunities to grow while you can fly your Pride flag. They will sacrifice their lives all over the world for freedom in America and around the world.”
The furious mayor told activists he “tolerated” her comments directly and on Facebook, claiming they were “always under attack” and “honorable” when he delivered the group a harsh message.
“You probably can't help yourself, but you won't dip a veteran right in front of me,” Clark said repeatedly as if she or someone in the crowd tried to respond.
“We're done,” the mayor firmly stated before moving on to the next speaker.
Comments from LGBTQ+ activists come as Newcastle City Council voted last year to not raise the Pride flag, Komo It has been reported.
That decision later flipped in favor of raising the flag on a 4-3 vote, and Clark urged him to question which flags could be raised next if the Pride flag was allowed to fly over City Hall.
“When you start raising the flag, you have to raise everyone. Do you want the Hamas flag flying through the city of Newcastle?
“What about the Trump flag or the Antifa flag? We're not going there,” Clark said.
In 2019, during President Trump's first term, he signed Bipartisan bill – Sponsored by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) – Requests that the Pow/Mia flag be displayed whenever a US flag is displayed.
The law effectively ensures that both flags will be displayed daily at the same time in federal locations already designated under existing laws, including the White House.
The black flag had the silhouette of a prisoner with his head bowed in front of a guard tower and barbed wire. design by Newt Haley in 1971 for the wife of the Navy Lieutenant Colonel. Michael Hoff – Her husband was not found after the action was listed as missing during the Vietnam War.
The Pow/Mia flag is a symbol of sacrifices made by those captured as prisoners of war, or those not recorded due to foreign conflicts, serving as a reminder of our servicemen of honor, courage and resilience while protecting freedom.
