Flag disputes have been in the news a lot in recent weeks, thanks in large part to bonkers hit pieces from the New York Times against conservative Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and his wife, Martha-Ann.
But recently, another one has played out in a small town in Connecticut, where a state trooper's tragic death and the way the Democrat-run town council decided to "honor" him has outraged residents.
Before we get into the flag issue, let us learn more about the fallen trooper:
Thousands of people including police officers from throughout the Northeast and beyond gathered Wednesday for the funeral of a Connecticut state trooper killed by a hit-and-run driver during a traffic stop last week.
Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier, 34, was remembered as a dedicated public servant and loving husband and father of two young boys.
“He was a man of integrity and honor, and I will make sure our children always know those traits definitely came from him,” his wife, Dominique, said in a tearful speech. “To my honey, you weren’t just my husband. You were my home. You were my heart. You were my safe place and my provider. My best friend. My secret keeper. My favorite gossiper.
Friends, family and fellow first responders from here and across the country came together in #Hartford, CT on Wednesday to pay their final respects to a fallen hero: Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier who died in the line of duty on May 30th, 2024. 🚔💙 pic.twitter.com/6jrsnmPaUF
— WFSB Channel 3 (@WFSBnews) June 5, 2024
Trooper Aaron Pelletier was killed during a traffic stop by an impaired driver who then fled the scene. His K9 partner was uninjured. https://t.co/5jcphahwQ4 pic.twitter.com/p0jhJTJrKV
— Betsy Brantner Smith (@sgtbetsysmith) June 1, 2024
The dispute, which began before services were held for Pelletier, revolves around the Wethersfield Town Council's refusal to hoist the Thin Blue Line flag, instead opting to fly the American flag at half-staff... along with the Pride flag:
Council member Rich Bailey (R) asked the town to fly the Thin Blue Line flag, but the council didn’t approve the request.
“In my home, [the flag] means police, and they protect us, and they are our first line of defense,” Bailey said. “They always are, and they’re always here, and they’re always for us.”
[...]
“It represents racism and antagonism to many, many people, and if you don’t personally believe that, and you fly at your own house and you think it means something to you, that is much more positive,” said Emily Zambrello (D), a member of the council. “It’s just not how many people feel about it. It’s not appropriate to raise it over our town hall, especially when our flag policy prohibits us from doing anything associated with hate.”
The measure was voted down 5-3-1, with five Democrats voting against it and one abstaining, while the three Republicans on the town council voted in favor of flying it.
Watch (note: Councilwoman Zambrello is referred to in the below clip as a Republican, but she's a Democrat):
UNFREAKINGBELIEVABLE
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) June 6, 2024
Democrats in CT voted against flying the American blue line flag to honor fallen officer Aaron Pelletier who was kiIIed in the line of duty.
Instead they flew the pride flag at half staff to honor him. The pride flag. I have no words. This is disgraceful.… https://t.co/J0jLfj7j6l pic.twitter.com/7qJQ9oZqSA
It's just incomprehensible to me how anyone could vote against flying a Thin Blue Line flag for a law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty, but then again, the woke left just keeps telling us who they really are with stunts like this, so it's not really surprising they'd show this level of disrespect to a man who lost his life serving his community.
But though they are showing their true colors, others have stepped in to fill the void left by their cowardly lack of leadership:
Here you go @WethersfieldDTC if you won't do it for Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier, we will. @WethersfieldPD @CT_STATE_POLICE @IUPA34233 pic.twitter.com/asjUi2bqu2
— ThinBlueLineVirginia (@TBLVirginia) June 7, 2024
By the way, the man who allegedly struck and killed Pelletier and tried to get away is Alex Oyola-Sanchez, who pled not guilty through his attorney. According to local news reports, he "has been convicted of murder and attempted homicide in Puerto Rico, court officials said."
This is Alex Oyola-Sanchez - the man State Police say hit and killed Trooper Aaron Pelletier. He’s charged with manslaughter. We found out he’s served federal time for murder before and was arrested for homicide in Puerto Rico - where’s he’s from. @WFSBnews pic.twitter.com/dIpg8ygHcc
— Sam Smink (@samsminknews) May 31, 2024
A GoFundMe has been set up for Trooper Pelletier's wife and children. $602,000 has been raised so far.
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Editor's Note: This article has been updated for clarity.
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