Samuel Adams Defies Orders to Remove American Flag

A Colorado man named after Founding Father Samuel Adams is defying his apartment complex’s request to remove his 3X5 American flag from his balcony railing. Here’s Samuel reading the letter he got from management. 

Samuel Adams had hung the flag only recently on his apartment balcony railing in support of the then-upcoming 4th of July Independence Day celebrations. He immediately got a nice little official notice of wrongdoing.

Here’s the letter he got (emphasis is ours):

“Dear Samuel,

Please be advised that it has come to management’s attention that you have an American flag on the balcony/patio area. Your signed Community Policies states, ‘The use of balconies and patios for the purpose of storage and/or laundry drying is prohibited. Breezeways are not to be used as a patio or storage. Please do not clutter with personal belongings. Balconies and patios must be maintained in a neat, clean and attractive condition. Outdoor and/or patio furniture is welcomed on your patio or balcony only. Gasoline and other hazardous materials are not to be stored in your apartment or storage area. Retain from having dead plants, boxes or garbage on balcony/patios at any time.’ We appreciate your prompt attention and cooperation in this matter. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact myself or the office. Thank you.”

Excuse us? Is displaying the American Flag possibly being lumped in with storage, drying laundry, dead plants and garbage? Please tell us it isn’t so. The American Flag is unlike any other object. 

Notice the strange wording of the letter. Notice that they say that it has come to their attention that an American flag is being displayed on his patio. And then they further go on to list a number of regulations which have nothing to do with an American flag on his patio. They list regulations concerning the storage of gasoline and trash and  clutter and laundry drying and dead plants. None of this has anything to do with displaying an American flag, and frankly we think it’s disgusting to even lump in an American flag with  clutter and dead plants and garbage.

The most charitable response to this letter would be, “Yes, I have an American flag on my balcony/patio area. Thank you for noticing it. Thank you also for reminding me of the regulations concerning dead plants, garbage, clutter, drying laundry, etc. I’m not sure why you felt the need to remind me, but I am happy to report to you that none of these regulations has been violated, and none are being violated now.”

The management claims to have no issues with residents flying the American flag but claims it has very strict rules about what can be hung from balconies. Apparently small American flags do not qualify. And one would wonder where else he should display his flag than on his balcony.

Patio furniture is apparently welcomed.

“Balconies and patios must be maintained in a neat, clean and attractive condition,” the notice reads.

Can’t a balcony displaying an American flag also be neat, clean and attractive? Well of course it can, and we specialize in that every day. But as Americans, we’re concerned about the frivolous, dismissive, ungenerous attitude toward the flag, and the genuine patriotism in the hearts of those who wish to display the American flag.

This Samuel Adams come from a family heritage of service. His father was a dentist in the U.S. Navy. His grandfather was a surgeon in the U.S. Army during World War I (and one can only imagine what kind of patriotism and sacrifice would be witnessed by a wartime surgeon, especially under the brutal conditions of the first World War).

Adams says he has received support from veterans and military families.

“I have never done anything like this before,” Adams told his newspaper. “But it was the right time and it was the right moment. I wanted to be a patriotic American and give tribute to our Founding Fathers and our veterans, and to have (management) say the flag is inappropriate or comparable to trash is reprehensible to me.”

It’s reprehensible to us too. But something tells us that this Samuel Adams’ revolution isn’t finished yet.

Keep up the fight, Sam. We’re all behind you.