Elrich Stands By 'Thin Blue Line' Flag Call, Slams Hogan

GERMANTOWN, MD — Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich on Monday doubled down on his decision to bar cops from displaying a homemade "thin blue line" flag at a Germantown police station. The move has generated backlash from Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and catapulted the liberal-leaning county into the national spotlight.

"I'm not changing my decision to have them take it down," Elrich said.

This announcement comes one day after Hogan said he was "offended and disgusted" that Elrich would ban the flag — which was a gift from a Germantown father and son to 5th District police officers.

The wooden flag — given to police last week on National First Responders Day — boasts a thin, bright blue stripe.

For some, the flag is closely associated with the Blue Lives Matter movement, created to show support for America's law enforcement officers and in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. For others, the flag is dismissive of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Last week, Montgomery County Police posted a picture of the homemade flag on social media and announced it would be displayed at the 5th District police station.

The post sparked outrage among residents, prompting Elrich to intervene. While some residents were pleased with Elrich's decision to ban the display, others were angry — including Hogan.

We are proud to hang these Thin Blue Line flags in Government House to honor our brave law enforcement officers. A local elected official prohibiting police from displaying a flag given to them by a grateful child is disgraceful. pic.twitter.com/PmPGzfSSF1
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) November 3, 2019

Unswayed by the criticism, Elrich told reporters Monday that Hogan should focus on running the state.

"He shouldn't be mucking in it. He ought to be thinking about his own constituents in the state who probably have the same concerns that Montgomery residents have," Elrich said. "Montgomery County is not exactly the hotbed for these tensions in the state. I'm sure that flag wouldn't go over well in other communities."

During his meeting with reporters, Elrich also acknowledged that the boy and his father had "no ill intent" in presenting the gift to officers.

"The problem is that the symbol of the 'thin blue line' flag has been appropriated by Blue Lives Matter and that there are lots of groups in the community — people concerned about Black Lives Matter, people concerned about the levels of violence against black people in this country — who take the Blue Lives Matter flag as an affront and as a flag that represents dismissiveness of Black Lives Matter and their concern over what's happening to black males in this country," Elrich said.