Massachusetts Elementary School Apologizes for Thank You Post to Police Including Thin Blue Line
Waltham, MA – During National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day earlier in the month, the Fitzgerald Elementary School posted a photo to their social media of a wooden thin blue line flag with the words “Happy National Law Enforcement Day” above it.
The principal of the school, Jennifer Santillo, and PTO president Lauren Fournier decided that the post wasn’t appropriate and had it removed.
In addition, the two women sent a joint letter addressing the post to parents. They mentioned that the thin blue line holds “opposition to Black Lives Matter and other social justice movements” and that “the use of the image was therefore a regrettable mistake and one which should have never occurred.”
“We understand,” the letter said, “the impact of this incident can not be taken back,” and “we are working expeditiously to ensure that something like this does not occur in the future.”
The thin blue line, mind you, is a symbol that was adopted by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Foundation in the 1970’s to honor the officers who gave their lives in the line of duty. It represents the men and women of law enforcement who stand on the line, offering their lives for people they don’t even know, separating good from evil and order from chaos.
Departments around the nation (including this author’s) have been attacking the symbol, bowing down to the mob complaining over something that was never meant to have any type of negative connotation. Departments have ordered that there be no blue line flags or stickers around the departments or on vehicles. Some have gone even farther to order that officers don’t display the thin blue line off duty either.
While it’s no secret that public schools everywhere have jumped on the anti-police bandwagon, this goes a little too far.
Whoever posted the thank you message was attempting to honor the school resource officer. That’s it. But these two women took it and made it into something ugly.
What about the kids at the school who are in law enforcement families? That is something that these schools are completely ignoring. They’re so worried about not angering the mob that they ignore everyone else.
In a word, it’s disgusting.
Turtleboy reported on the deletion of the social media post as well, saying, “There’s nothing racist about honoring heroes and victims like Sean Collier, Ron Tarentino, Sean Gannon, and Michael Chesna. That’s all the flag was ever designed to do.
“But somewhere along the line ‘black lives matter’ decreed that it was a hate symbol because they saw thin blue line flags at Trump rallies, just like they did with ‘all lives matter,’ the OK sign, high five Friday, using the term ‘color blind,’ and not accepting the ridiculous theory of ‘white privilege’ as an indisputable fact.”
The attack on the thin blue line is an attack on police. It’s adding fuel to the anti-police fire currently floating around the media. It’s not just taking away a flag or a sticker- it’s taking away the well deserved honor and respect that the police deserve.
And it has to stop.
