A Wethersfield town council meeting lasted late into the night as more than 30 people weighed in during public commenting on a vote that was taken two weeks ago. That’s when the council voted not to fly the “Thin Blue Line" flag on the day of Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier’s funeral.
Mayor Ken Lesser said at the start of the meeting that the town council will review the town’s flag policy at its next meeting. The policy passed in February currently requires any request to fly a flag to be made 30 days in advance.
Councilor Rich Bailey (R) brought the idea of flying the “thin blue line” flag at town hall to honor Trooper First Class Pelletier, but the council rejected it with the vote on June 3, with five against, three for, and one abstaining.
“It’s become emblematic of white nationalist, neo-Nazi and alt-right movements in the United States,” Deputy Mayor Matthew Forrest (D) said at the June 3 council meeting.
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
Deputy Mayor Forrest abstained from voting but that comment is one of the reasons the debate over flying the “thin blue line” flag at town hall began.
A family member of Trooper First Class Pelletier was one of many who spoke during the public comment period during Monday’s meeting about the council’s decision not to fly the flag in Pelletier’s honor.
“To appease people who you thought would be hurt by the sight of a flag. Well, guess who's hurting more? Dominique, who no longer has a husband, and Troy and Zachary, who no longer have a father coming home to them,” she said.
Local
Leaving the podium, she shared a hug with the mother of fallen Hartford Police Detective Bobby Garten.
“While the flag cannot erase the pain or fill the void that has been left by Bobby's absence, it is a powerful reminder that his sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Debbie Garten said.
Many sharing those views rallied before the town council meeting, which required an overflow room and increased security from Wethersfield police.
“I think an exception could have been made,” Cathleen Walsh, of Blue Lives Matter Connecticut, said.
The mayor started the meeting with condolences for the families of fallen law enforcement officers Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier and New Haven native Officer Jamal Mitchell.
“Our town council and our entire community stands with our police,” Mayor Lesser said.
However, he sparked outrage from the Garten family when he didn’t mention Detective Garten, a Wethersfield native.
“Ken, you didn’t say my brother’s name at all! You didn’t say my brother’s name at all!” Garten’s brother said, interrupting part of the public comment time and leaving the council chambers.
From others there was passionate support for the town council.
“This was a shameful political move that took media attention away from Trooper Pelletier’s remembrance and his family,” one man said.
They defended the council members for abiding by Wethersfield’s flag policy.
Others shared concern about the vulgar messages, even death threats, that some council members received in the wake of the controversial vote, according to the town manager.
“It absolutely breaks my heart that anyone would threaten violence against a member of the Wethersfield town council,” one woman said during public commenting. "Such tactics are antithetical to representative democracy at any level. They are designed to scare officials out of taking certain policy positions, constrain their ability to interact freely with their constituents, and make them less willing to continue in public service.”
Council members also spoke about the June 3 vote.
Councilor Rich Bailey (R), who brought the idea of flying the “blue thin line" flag, said he will never apologize for supporting police.
This comes after Councilor Miki Duric (D) demanded an apology from him in a lengthy Facebook post, saying the proposal was a political move that took the other council members off guard.
Duric says he was involved in creating the current flag policy, which passed in February. He says he is ready to amend the policy, but until that happens it needs to be followed.
Deputy Mayor Matthew Forrest (D) said he abstained from voting on flying the flag because he was surprised by the sudden proposal, and needed more time to make a decision.
