Central Bucks Lawmaker Speaks Out On Theft, Desecration Of Flags

DOYLESTOWN, PA — The American and Pride flags are again waving above the borough's busy Main and Court Street intersection after vandals stole one banner and desecrated the other early Thursday morning.

According to the Central Bucks Regional Police Department, around 1:50 a.m. someone cut the rope holding the flags causing the banners to drop to the ground. The pride flag was stolen while the American flag was left lying on the ground at the Civil War monument located in the heart of the county seat.

The incident, which took place on the eve of Flag Day, sparked an immediate response from State Rep. Tim Brennan who called the act "troubling" and "un-American" in an editorial included in his weekly emailed newsletter.

"I wish all Americans would celebrate Flag Day and the values it represents. Unfortunately, in the county square in Doylestown Thursday morning, someone left the American Flag lying desecrated in the street and tore down the Pride flag," Brennan wrote in his newsletter.

"It is sad to think that some Americans could be so motivated by their hatred of other Americans, or so ill-informed, that they could do something so un-American, attacking what we stand for and the symbols behind those values," he wrote.

"It should trouble us all, because symbols maintain their strength only so long as we maintain the values to embolden them. We honor the flag of our country by practicing citizenship, which involves learning and listening, and by engaging in and following the rules of our society, including peaceful participation in a democratic process. We honor our country by continuing and valuing Democratic norms and by passing on a Democratic culture to our kids."

He continued, "While I hope you enjoy this weekend, I also ask you to please take a minute to remember why we celebrate Flag Day and the immense history and values our flag has come to represent. We are only a part of this amazing story, but each generation is nonetheless 100 percent responsible that the story continues to be told."

According to police, surveillance video captured a motorcycle and actor(s) with flashlights around the monument at the time of the theft. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Darien Derstine at the Central Bucks Regional Police Department at 215-345-4143 or dderstine@cbrpd.net.