Update: City officials report that Farrel removed the flag as of 2 p.m. Wednesday.
Original post follows:
Can somebody please fix that flag?
That’s what Ansonia resident Philip Tripp asked regarding a wayward U.S flag flying upside down on Main Street.
Tripp said he has been searching for the owners of flag since he recently noticed its appearance.
Tuesday, he took his complaint to the top — the Board of Aldermen and Mayor James Della Volpe.
“It’s distressing,” Tripp said. “Right next to Eagle Hose (fire house), there’s a very large American flag, ripped, torn and flying upside down.”
The flag should never be displayed upside down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property, according to the Federal Flag Code, which outlines instructions for displaying and using the flag.
Flying it upside down for any other reason is considered disrespectful.
The flag in question appears to have come unlatched at the top hook.
Tripp, a veteran of the Iraq war, said he visited the fire station and the ambulance corps headquarters to determine the owner of the flag, which is stationed in a grassy area between the fire house and a building owned by Farrel Corp.
He was told by both that the flag belonged to Farrel.
“Can somebody go down to Farrel and ask them to either fly their flag right, or take it down?” Tripp asked the board Tuesday.
Della Volpe, who thanked Tripp for his service, said he would contact the company’s head counsel, James Burns, about the flag right away.
“I will personally call Mr. Burns to make sure the flag is taken care of,” Della Volpe said.
A message seeking comment was left on Burn’s voicemail, which indicated he was away on vacation until early next week.
Other Flag Faux Pas
The Federal Flag Code also provides guidance on where the flag should stand during speaking events — including public meetings.
Twice this summer, town meetings were delayed when a member of the audience or board noticed the American flag in the wrong position.
During a recent meeting of the Oxford Charter Revision Commission and the Seymour Board of Education, the flag was stationed to the board members’ left, while the state flag was on their right.
The Federal Flag code stipulates the U.S. flag should appear “in the position of honor” to the speaker’s right — the audience’s left.
In both cases, the flags were moved before the meetings began.
