‘Thin Blue Line’ Flags Appear Across the US

Jack Phillips
7/12/2016
Updated:
7/13/2016


The flag, or the “Thin Blue Line USA Flag,” is designed to represent “the officer and the courage they find deep inside when faced with insurmountable odds,” according to Flags Unlimited, an online vendor that sells the flags. It adds: “The Black background was designed as a constant reminder of our fallen brother and sister officers. The Line is what police officers protect, the barrier between anarchy and a civilized society, between order and chaos, between respect for decency and lawlessness.”

However, it could be argued that the “Thin Blue Line” flag could be seen as desecration of the American flag, according to the official U.S. Flag Code.

“The flag of the United States shall be thirteen horizontal stripes, alternate red and white; and the union of the flag shall be fifty stars, white in a blue field,” the Flag Code states.

The blog Blue Lives Matter earlier this month posted the blue line flag on its Facebook page, which prompted some to complain. Blue Lives Matter took the image down.

“On one hand, the American Thin Blue Line flag proponents said that it’s not an desecration of the American flag, because it’s a completely different flag. It’s a flag specifically to represent support for American law enforcement,” the blog said. But on the other hand, some might argue the flag is “clearly based off of the American flag, because it’s supposed to represent American law enforcement.”

Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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