UW-Madison police chief bans 'Thin Blue Line' imagery
Category: News & Politics
Via: john-russell • 3 years ago • 27 commentsBy: Chief Kristen Roman (SFGATE)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
FILE - In this Aug. 30, 2020 file photo, an unidentified man participates in a Blue Lives Matter rally in Kenosha, Wis. University of Wisconsin-Madison's police chief has banned officers from using "Thin Blue Line" imagery while on duty. The move by Chief Kristen Roman follows criticism on social media of a "Thin Blue Line" flag displayed at the police department's office.Morry Gash/AP
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — University of Wisconsin-Madison's police chief has banned officers from using "Thin Blue Line" imagery while on duty.
The move by Chief Kristen Roman follows criticism on social media of a "Thin Blue Line" flag displayed at the police department's office. The flag, which resembles a U.S. flag but has a blue stripe, is considered a sign of police solidarity, but has also been criticized as a symbol of white supremacy.
Roman said the flag has been "co-opted" by extremists with "hateful ideologies" and that her department needs to distance itself from the imagery to build trust with the community, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
"We must consider the cost of clinging to a symbol that is undeniably and inextricably linked to actions and beliefs antithetical to UWPD's values," she said in a Jan. 15 email.
Roman said the ban on public displays of "Thin Blue Line" imagery includes flags, pins, bracelets, notebooks, coffee mugs and other items. Tattoos are the exception.
"Thin Blue Line" flags were among those displayed by rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in an attempt to overturn the election defeat of former President Donald Trump. Five people, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer, died in the riot.
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Chief Kristen Roman joined the UW–Madison Police Department on January 9, 2017. Prior to joining UWPD, Chief Roman spent 26 years with the City of Madison Police Department.
UW Madison has an enrollment of 54,000, so I imagine this is a decent size police dept.
White supremacists have ruined what probably started out as a sincere tribute to fallen police officers.
Exactly
So please point out where "white supremists" have used this imagery.
I swear, everything the left does not like all of a sudden has become a "symbol" of some sort of imaginary hate group.
That BS needs to stop.
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the badge near his left shoulder is a blue lives matter badge based on the flag. The badge near his right shoulder is familiar to us all.
Notice the center of the picture. The blue lives matter flag is there among the confederate and Nazi flags.
But, John!!
There are fine people on both sides!
You see, John, these folks have used the flag in their mostly peaceful protests/marches, but that only means that they support the police and nothing else.
I believe the use if the rebel flag is stupid and I condemn it.
I wonder why we have never seen a BLM/ANTIFA.democrat fly the blue flag?
No I don't. We know the hatred for the police is rabid and most of them would rather see the downfall of this country that have a police officer come to their aid.
Prove me wrong.
Maybe, but I've noticed that number has gotten almost minuscule on the left.
My husband has a patch with that flag. I asked him what it was. He didn't know.
I do think it has been co-opted by the alt-right
It seems to me that any ''association'', whether formally constituted or not, is responsible for the behavior of all its members.
If I'm in a group,and someone unfurls a Confederate flag, I cannot ignore it. If I do nothing, then I am tacitly accepting that flag as symbol for the group of which I am part. Either I confront the flag-carrier, telling them that the flag is not desirable... or I leave the group.
When Trump-flag fliers associate with Confederate-flag fliers, they are declaring their own racism.
Your logic is faulty.
Greg... re-read my post. It leads you through my logic step by step. Then you can come beck and tell us all exactly where you believe my logic breaks down.
Without that precision... you're just makin' shit up, again...
I understand the chief's concerns, but I don't like this tendency that we have to give in to the assholes of the world. When we have a symbol that was created for a good purpose, we shouldn't let the monsters take it from us. It seems to me that here, the racists win.
Gangs like to wear sports gear, but that doesn't make me stop wearing the gear for my favorite teams. If someone sees me in that gear and assumes I'm in a gang, then I think they are the ones with a problem, not me.
My next door neighbor has a "blue lives matter" yard sign with this black and blue flag design on the sign . I dont think he or his wife are fully recognizant of the fact that it has been used by white supremacists, although I have not asked them, lol.
This is something to watch as time goes by.
Are your neighbors white supremacists?
Not that I know of. I doubt it. They are a young couple with a toddler boy. The husband's family owns a small chain of Italian restaurants (3 or 4) in the area. People who own restaurants are kind of naturally pro police.
So they put up a sign showing support for the police.
Sound like fine folks to me.
Police chief have no control over that.
Well, I suppose none of us can control what people think, but what if we all pushed back a little harder? It could be as simple as saying, "We fly this flag to honor the men and women who risk and sacrifice their lives to keep our community safe. If you're a racist douchebag, please don't fly this flag for your cause. We don't want to be associated with you." But that takes an effort that people don't seem to want to make.
I had no idea of this far fetched association of some kind of flag with alleged racism or white supremacy.
Maybe that's because I am a normal human being and don't go around for hours each day dredging up articles that imply alleged racism or white supremacy.
Hey, maybe racism and white supremacy is the lesser of two evils. You never know.
I guess I see things differently. To me the thin blue line is the one cops won't cross while protecting their own.