Paso Robles police chief removes ‘thin blue line’ flag, sparking uproar
The Paso Robles police chief removed a ‘thin blue line’ flag hung by a community group outside the city’s Public Safety Center — sparking uproar Thursday on social media.
Over the weekend, members of the Facebook group PRotect Paso attached the flag to a light pole near the Public Safety Center, along with blue ribbons and American flags.
On Thursday, Paso Robles Police Chief Ty Lewis said in a Facebook post that he was later forwarded an email from a “concerned citizen” upset about the flag.
“The complaint cited concerns the flag was controversial and divisive and requested the flag be immediately removed,” Lewis said.
Supporters of the ‘thin blue line’ flag say it’s meant to show solidarity with law enforcement, but it’s also seen as a symbol of opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement, especially those protesting police violence.
“In an attempt to avoid any controversy and preserve public trust, I ordered the flag be removed from the light pole,” Lewis said in the 1 p.m. post.
By 10 a.m. Friday, Lewis’ post about the flag’s removal had garnered more than 1,100 comments and 119 shares, with many blasting the chief’s leadership and complaining that taking it down was “appeasing woke behavior.”
“Put the flag back up and if you don’t like it, I’ll come over and help them move,” one commenter wrote.
“Chief Lewis, you are an outstanding example of a failure to show courage in leadership. I’m glad I don’t work for such a person,” wrote another.
Others came to the chief’s defense, saying the ‘thin blue line’ flag doesn’t belong on public property.
“Your straightforward approach and reaching out to the public is a great example for leaders in other cities to follow!” a commenter wrote.
Lewis wrote his Thursday post after seeing “community conversations on this matter primarily occurring on social media.”
“There are rumors the flag was stolen by a community member and this rumor is not true,” Lewis said. “I am solely responsible for the removal of the flag. Further, there have been many unproductive and negative conversations on social media about this community member that included veiled threats. I humbly request these unproductive accusations and threats stop immediately.”
In addition, the online debates over the flag’s removal “do not promote community trust and have distracted the police department from our mission to preserve public peace and safety,” Lewis said.
This story was originally published May 6, 2021 at 9:28 PM.
