A police chief in Minnesota has become the latest ranking law enforcement official to cave to left-wing haters after he took down and apologized for a social media post last week containing an image of the “Thin Blue Line” flag.
Golden Valley Police Chief Virgil Green issued the apology over the weekend over the now-deleted original post, which he used to commemorate law enforcement on National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. The post led to a stream of negative comments.
“While the post was intended to thank our police officers, it appears the image offended some who viewed it,” Green wrote. “For this, I sincerely apologize.”
He promised to stay clear of using any such ‘divisive’ symbology in the future.
“For many, the Thin Blue Line flag has always represented a way to honor the commitment we make as first responders to protect our community,” Green said. “It is disappointing that in recent years the flag’s positive intention has been tarnished with divisive undertones and actions.”
“We do not want to promote these negative connotations,” he added.
Fox News noted further:
The post also linked to The Marshall Project, which explains the real meaning behind the patriotic symbol.
But this instance is indicative of a broader trend across the country forcing officers to abandon the symbol as critics conflate the flag with extremism, at a time when department are already struggling to recruit and retain officers.
Green’s cave-in follows a previous one by the Los Angeles Police Department, which removed Thin Blue Line flags from precinct lobbies over a single complaint tying the flag to the Proud Boys and other groups, which is inaccurate.
Founder of Blue Lives Matter NYC Joseph Imperatrice ripped the decision in an interview with Fox News.
“When people make a complaint like that, they don’t like the cops on any given day, so we’ve got to take that into account,” Imperatrice told co-host Todd Piro. “For [the] police chief to take it down, it kind of makes the other side think that there is actually something wrong with that flag, which it’s not. But then, in the other breath, to tell your police officers on the other side of this wall, you can hang it on your locker, on your vehicles. There’s nothing wrong with the flag.”
“What really bothers cops is that God forbid a police officer was killed in one of those jurisdictions today or tomorrow, I can guarantee you that not only flowers and candles would be placed there, but all different types of blue lines, whether it’s flags or stickers or cups, but it’s OK,” he continued. “It’s not alright. We need to stand up for our cops. We should’ve left it there.”
