‘Thin Blue Line’ Flags Taken Down At Middletown Police Department

MIDDLETOWN, CT — The “Thin Blue Line” flags on display at Middletown Police headquarters have been taken down after an online petition garnered nearly 1,300 signatures, officials announced Monday. The petition was started by Ari Kubie on Change.org.

“While some family members and friends of police officers may use this symbol with the sole intention of supporting their loved ones, it has become clear that this symbol is being embraced by white supremacists and that its meaning has come to include beliefs that police should not be held accountable for the extrajudicial murder of Black citizens,” the post at Change.org reads. “It is time for Middletown to show that they denounce the murder of Black men and women, and that they are committed to justice for all members of our community. We are asking police chief William McKenna to show leadership and remove these symbols which have been embraced by white supremacists. The time is now for Middletown to show that we are dedicated to being different.”

Kubie wrote that the “symbolic act is not a solution to police violence. But by taking this first step, our city may be able to start a conversation around police violence that will lead to actual progress. As long as the flag hangs, we are sending a strong message to Black community members that the police are against them, and that they are neither safe nor welcome in the station.”

Mayor Ben Florsheim and Police Chief William McKenna issued a joint statement Monday evening saying the flags would no longer be displayed in public view.

“While Middletown officers understand this symbol as signifying the importance of positive police-community relations, we also acknowledge based on the response to the petition that others in the community understand it to mean the opposite,” they wrote in the statement. “Given the sentiments expressed by the petition and the important national and local conversations taking place around policing issues, we have made the decision to no longer display the flags in public view.

“We look forward to being a part of the difficult but necessary conversations and decisions that will be taking place in the coming days and weeks to make our community safer, stronger, and more just.”