Thin Blue Line flags are legally okay on Springfield Township’s property, a federal judge said Monday, overriding a ban that critics say was put in place in the name of political correctness.
The Springfield Township Board of Commissioners voted 5-2 last January to approve a resolution banning the “thin blue line on an American flag” that the township’s Police Benevolent Association (PBA) has adopted as a symbol. Critics call the image, widely used at public events to honor fallen police officers, a “symbol of white supremacy.”
Commissioner Peter Wilson, who supported the ban, said, “These symbols cannot be allowed to exist if they cause offense to anyone in our community.” Commissioner Eddie Graham said, “I think it’s a small step in making this community come together.”
But on Monday, U.S. District Judge Karen Marston declared the ban unconstitutional.