Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan slammed a county official’s decision to ban pro-police artwork from a county facility.
James Shelton and his son, Forrest Shelton, designed wooden “thin blue line” flags to honor police officers as part of National First Responder’s Day. The pair delivered the signs to a Montgomery County building in Germantown, Maryland.
The police station posted a photograph of the artwork on social media, but the post soon received several comments accusing the county of racism for touting the artwork.
On Saturday, Montgomery County executive Marc Elrich demanded the wooden flag be removed from the building.
“The flag provides a symbol of support to some, but it is a symbol of dismissiveness to others. Because it is divisive, the flag will not be posted at the 5th District nor in any public space within the Police Department,” he said in a statement to WJLA.
MORE: In response to negative community feedback, MoCo Executive Marc Elrich stepped in and ordered the flag be removed.
“Because it is divisive, the flag will not be posted at the 5th District nor in any public space within the Police Department,” Elrich said in a statement. pic.twitter.com/eoOllqShJ0
— Kevin Lewis (@ABC7Kevin) November 2, 2019
On Sunday, Hogan took to Twitter to express his outrage with Elrich’s decision to ban the flag. He said he was “offended and disgusted” by the removal.
I have attended the funerals of fallen law enforcement officers across our state, and I take time to thank them every day for their dedicated service and sacrifice.
— Larry Hogan (@LarryHogan) November 3, 2019
Hogan noted that a “thin blue line” flag is posted in the governor’s mansion. He demanded Elrich reverse his “terrible decision.”
I strongly call on Mr. Elrich to immediately reverse this terrible decision and to apologize to the police and the citizens of Montgomery County.
— Larry Hogan (@LarryHogan) November 3, 2019
It is unclear if Elrich will change his mind about the removal, but Hogan is not alone in his outrage. One officer told WJLA, “Officers are livid about how this was all handled.”
Hogan, who has been critical of President Trump, was rumored to be considering challenging Trump in the Republican presidential primary. However, he announced in June that he would not be running for president in 2020.
