The subject of the City of West Hollywood lowering the city flags to half-staff in honor of Charlie Kirk was front and center at this week’s city council meeting. WEHOonline first broke the story and the news went viral.
The City of West Hollywood’s Public Information office chimed in with this statement and Council member Lauren Meister issued her statement on the Kirk matter.
The Progressives on the city council were silent. Council member and State Senate Candidate John Erickson did not address the matter. Council member Danny Hang did not address the matter. Mayor Chelsea Byers had nothing to say about the decision to fly the flags, any input she had in the decision, or the topic of Kirk’s murder. Had Kirk been a Democratic activist they would have opined about being under attack adjourned in the deceased person’s name.
City Manager David Wilson was not silent. He spoke to his decision and acknowledge the pain and frustration felt by many in the community. Below is a full text of Wilson’s public statement.
On Wednesday, September 10, all flags in West Hollywood were lowered to half-staff in accordance with a Presidential proclamation following the killing of Charlie Kirk. The flags remained lowered on September 11 in observance of the annual National Day of Remembrance honoring the victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks. Flags continued to fly at half-staff through sundown on Sunday, September 14.
Over the past several days, many community members have expressed deep concern about the City’s decision to comply with this Presidential directive. In particular, there has been significant outrage regarding the lowering of the LGBTQ+ flags, which are prominently flown in our city as a symbol of pride, inclusion, and community identity.
As stated in the City’s public statement issued yesterday, this action should not be interpreted as an expression of alignment with, or endorsement of, Mr. Kirk’s political views or actions. Rather, the action was undertaken in accordance with the City’s Policy for Recognitions and Memorials. Within that policy, one of the instances in which flags are flown at half-staff is in compliance with Presidential proclamations regarding the lowering of flags.
Under the United States Flag Code, when flags of States or cities are flown from adjacent staffs, no such flag may be placed above the flag of the United States of America. In accordance with flag protocol, the act of lowering the American flag required that all other flags be lowered, including the LGBTQ+ flags.
Historically, the City has followed such proclamations to honor the symbolic unity represented by the American flag and to demonstrate respect for the institution of government. However, we recognize that these are complex and unprecedented times, especially in regard to traditional customs and the actions of the current federal administration. In this context, clearer communication was warranted related to following the flag-lowering policy and thoughtful consideration should be taken to update this policy.
I acknowledge that this decision has caused pain and frustration for many people in our community. On October 20, the City Council will discuss the City’s flag policy and consider updates to ensure that it appropriately reflects the values of West Hollywood. We invite all community members to participate in this important conversation by providing public comment. Your voices are valued, and we remain committed to making decisions that reflect our shared values of inclusivity, transparency, and respect.”
I actually thought it was a joke – raising the PRIDE flag half staff for a known bigot! Charlie Kirk would be rolling in his grave lol, I laughed – thinking Weho was trolling the administration’s demands. Surprised and disappointed to learn it was a serious attempt to follow along as our democracy is destroyed and we’re raising flags like this influencer pundit was deserving of such pomp and circumstance. What a joke.
Like I said, many municipalities simply ignored Trump and his band. West Hollywood wake up, put your voters first.
The soundbites that are used to illustrate Charlie’s racism/homophobia/sexism/bigotry are cherry-picked to destroy the image of this man who didn’t have a shred of any of those traits. Soundbites attributed to him in his own voice that turn out to be him quoting someone else but the quote ends before he continues with his expression of outrage at that quote. Or references that he made that were current at the time and were understood then, but since then the references are forgotten so his statement stands alone and is not now understood as it was at the time he made… Read more »
Didn’t cause me any anger, pain or frustration. We should celebrate the life of someone who stood up for the freedom of speech, tried to foster dialogue with those you disagree with…the very bedrock of our democracy. Young people today have no idea how to engage with those they disagree with and are all too quick to label opposing views as ‘hate speech.” Disagreeing with someone is not hate. Throwing a rock at their head because you disagree with someone is hate. But the progressives started long ago with words equal violence. False and inflammatory. The flags should have been… Read more »
“Had Kirk been a Democratic activist, they would have opined about being under attack and adjourned in the deceased person’s name.” The lowering of flags is done as a gesture of “honor” toward the deceased person’s life & memory. The dictionary defines the word “honor” as denoting high respect or esteem, integrity and fairness. On that I rest my case. Otherwise, I think that facts are stubborn things, & what’s before our eyes & ears is likely real. Charlie Kirk often attracted notice by regularly using disparaging language to express his homophobia, anti Semitism, racism, bigotry & xenophobia, commonly regarded… Read more »
Sounds like somebody that has listened to sound bites and not to his full interaction with people. False statements like this is how divisiveness spreads.