New York City Fire Department officials ordered a ladder company in the East Village to remove a flag honoring six of the company’s men who died on 9/11 after a resident complained about which was a “fascist” symbol.
The order came on March 22 after a man who, according to the New York Post, claimed to be an employee of progressive Manhattan Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, confronted firefighters at Ladder Company 11.
The man arrived at the fire station on a bicycle and told firefighters that he works for Rivera and that the politician’s office had complained several days earlier about the flag.
The ‘thin red line’ flag, which is a black and white American flag with a red line down the middle, is intended to show solidarity with firefighters who have fallen or been injured on the job.
The man reportedly called the flag a “fascist symbol” and asked why it remained raised.
Lower East Side Ladder Company 11 displays its thin red line flag to honor the six men from its company who died fighting fires at the World Trade Center on 9/11.
New York City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, whose office led the lawsuit by asking Ladder Company 11 to remove the thin red line flag from its truck.
The ‘thin blue line’ flag, which has a similar design to the firefighters’ version, serves a similar purpose among police officers, but in recent years has been used by the ‘Blue Lives Matter’ movement and, Therefore, it has acquired political significance.
The flag’s thin blue line is largely hailed as a sign of police solidarity, but in the wake of 2020 and even in the years leading up to it, some – particularly on the political left – have criticized it as a symbol of white supremacy. .
Ladder Company 11 displays the flag next to a memorial sign on the back of its truck commemorating the lives and service of Lt. Michael Quilty and firefighters Michael Cammarata, Edward Day, John Heffernan, Richard Kelly Jr. and Matthew Rogan, all all of whom were killed while responding to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
On March 19, the FDNY received an email from Lisander Rosario, a member of Rivera’s staff, saying that a constituent had contacted the office twice to complain about the ladder company’s flag and ask if it violated any rules.
The email said “political symbols are not permitted to be displayed on public vehicles” and asked if there were any such symbols on the company truck.
‘I am reaching out on behalf of one of our constituents regarding a thin blue/red line on Stair 11 last week (and previously on January 20). When asked about the meaning, they stated that it was to honor the deceased firefighters, however, he mentioned that they could have used any FDNY flag instead of a politically charged symbol,” the note reads in part.
After the man’s visit to the fire station, FDNY Deputy Chief Joseph Schiralli stopped by and regrettably informed the ladder company that due to the department’s ban on flying “altered” versions of the American flag, the His would have to be taken down.
One of the firefighters told the Post that Schiralli agreed that it was “ridiculous” that they were forced to remove the flag commemorating their fallen brothers.
The rule dates back to 2020 when, during the height of anti-law enforcement protests, then-Commissioner Daniel Nigro implemented the rule.
Several hours later, now-Commissioner Laura Kavanagh reversed the decision and allowed the flag to be placed back on the truck, although the damage had already been done.
One of the company’s firefighters said, “We’re happy with the outcome of this, but we’re offended that it happened in the first place.”
“This flag has great meaning for us.”
“I wish (Rivera’s office) would have said, ‘Hey, we want to learn about the flag and what it represents’ before they asked for it to be taken down,” another firefighter said.
The councilwoman insisted that her office never contacted Ladder Company 11 about the flag and that the initial complaint was from a constituent, not her staff.
“My relationship with Ladder 11 has always been strong,” he told the outlet.
Rivera, a progressive New York City politician and former official member of the Democratic Socialists of America, voted with her colleagues in 2020 to strip the New York Police Department of $1 billion in funding.
During the 2020 riots and protests that occurred following the murder of George Floyd, Rivera periodically criticized the police force.