I understand that the fire chief consulted with the police chief and the town administrator, each of whom recognized that displaying the thin blue line flag was inconsistent with the town’s flag practice," Fisher said. "The resident’s request to remove the thin blue line flag from the fire truck was forwarded to the fire chief. In a lengthy statement, Selectman Joe Fisher said the board has consistently supported public safety departments, but that the flag display was deemed inconsistent with the town's flag practice, which limits which flags can be displayed on public property. Firefighters from Hingham, Weymouth and Hanover in plain clothes showed up to demonstrate, as did several police officers. There were "America Backs the Blue" signs and other flags and memorabilia sporting the thin blue line motif. They will have to be removed by someone other than a member of this union."Īt least two fire trucks displaying the flag were driven past the demonstration Tuesday and were met by cheers. The flags have continued to fly with honor every day. "As we said before, our support for our brothers and sisters in blue is unwavering. Otherwise, we regret to inform you that over the past four days no member of Local 2398 was able to sacrifice his or her moral fortitude in order to remove the flags from the apparatus," Melanson said in a statement on Monday. "At this time, the Hingham Firefighters of Local 2398 respectfully request the town reconsider their decision to deem these flags as political statements. Want news like this sent straight to your inbox? Head over to to sign up for alerts and make sure you never miss a thing. Chris Melanson, said union members will not take the flags down.
The president of Hingham's fire union, Lt. "He was just doing his job when he was killed." "It's not a statement against anybody, it's a way of supporting police," Mimi Chesna said of the flag. She said she wished there was less screaming around the issue and more people coming together. Michael Chesna, said she took the decision to remove the flag personally, especially since the controversy was sparked near the two-year anniversary of her son's death. That association has made the flags a political statement, Hingham officials argue, which means they violate town policy. Recently, the black and blue flags have been used by "Back the Blue" and "Blue Lives Matter" groups that have formed in response to the Black Lives Matter movement and calls to defund the police. Their deaths have highlighted what many point to as systemic racism in the levers of power in the U.S., especially in policing. Tensions throughout the country have risen around policing as protesters call for reexamination of the justice system in the wake of recent police killings of unarmed Black Americans. I think this is a teachable moment where we can find some common ground. "It's disappointing that one person asked to take down the flag in his memory. The memory of it is seared into my mind, and it still brings me to tears," Boston police officer Joe Abasciano said at the rally. Firefighters have refused to remove the flag and residents have spoken out against the town's decision. Michael Chesna, but have recently "taken a different political meaning," the chiefs said. The flags flown by Hingham firefighters were originally purchased to show support for the police department after the 2018 killing of Weymouth police Sgt. Murphy and Olsson say the flags are now in violation of a long-standing town policy that forbids displaying political messaging on town property. The protest was in reaction to an order from town officials asking firefighters to take "thin blue line" flags off firetrucks.įire Chief Steve Murphy and Police Chief Glenn Olsson explained in a letter to personnel that the blue and black flags, which are black-and-white versions of the American flag with a single blue line in the center, will have to be removed from where they've flown atop Hingham fire trucks after a citizen complaint. HINGHAM - More than 100 people, including a number of firefighters, gathered in front of Hingham Town Hall on Tuesday for a rally supporting police officers.