Stop fighting over flags. Start working on things that matter to SLO County

Subscriber Exclusive to The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, CA)

Originally published October 29, 2021

Our public buildings aren't STANLEY cups to decorate with virtue signaling stickers.

As someone passionate about both conservatorship abuse and pop music of the early aughts, I’d love nothing more than a Thin Pink Line #FREEBRITNEY flag waving in the wind over Atascadero City Hall.

Civil rights are kind of a big deal, so the city should agree with me and be part of public displays of support, right?

If my recommendation isn’t immediately adopted by officials, I could take my activism up a notch and put pink ribbons all over Sunken Gardens and boombox “Toxic” while camped out front of Mayor Heather Moreno’s home until she gives in.

Perhaps I could show up at a City Council meeting with a posse of Britney impersonators clad in red catsuits, schoolgirl outfits and one with a yellow python draped over her shoulders for the full effect. I could dominate public comment so issues surrounding public health, education, or infrastructure get pushed aside.

This is important, isn’t it? After all, we’re talking about OUR RIGHTS!

In case you’re wondering, yeah, I’m kidding. Still, if it were possible to measure such a thing, I’d be curious to see how much time and public resources have been consumed due to the seemingly ever-present decor drama in public spaces.

It doesn’t take more than a scroll or two to come across another story of a local clash surrounding various versions of the Stars and Stripes and a full spectrum of virtue-signaling ribbons in public display.

Patriotic tears over thin blue lines at the police station, a kerfuffle over ribbons in downtown San Luis Obispo, and a heinous hate crime that turned into the nonsensical regulation of rainbows in Paso Robles, to name a few. Former Paso Robles Police Chief Ty Lewis even said that online debates and public uproar regarding the presence and subsequent removal of a Thin Blue Line flag at the Paso Robles Police station “have distracted the police department from our mission to preserve public peace and safety.”

In other words, while our public servants could have been at work solving actual problems in our community, they were dealing with wars that originated in the comment threads that trickled into real-life safety issues.

I’m not sure about you, but I feel like our police departments should be out chasing down child molesters and violent predators instead of having to deal with triggered townspeople who escalate this to the point that the city has to stop what they’re doing and deal with it before someone gets hurt. This is not what I want my tax dollars spent on.

Childhood cancer is the lowest funded form of cancer research. Our brains have been hit with a pandemic-induced tsunami of cortisol for the last 18 months. People of color are murdered by law enforcement in the streets. People fall off parking structures in downtown San Luis Obispo and it gets swept under the rug like it never happened. Trevon Perry testified against a murderous gangster and wound up dead a few months later.

There are shanty towns of vulnerable people spilling out from under the freeway overpasses. Compassionate and innovative educators are leaving the profession due to burnout and disrespectfully low wages.

Oh yeah, there’s also that thing that is kind of a big deal that you may have heard of: climate change. California is literally on fire, and we’re arguing about flags. What is the endgame here? Decorate our way out of social injustices?

There are so many things that passionate energy could be put toward that could make a true difference in our world. Or I suppose that auditioning for a home makeover reality show is an option if you really want to make a scene about fabric and textile use.

There is one American flag and it belongs to each and every one of us nuts in this fruitcake. It’s our logo, and creative liberties should not be taken with it — no matter what the issue.