Those headed to the iconic El Capitan summit in Yosemite to witness the "firefall" were shocked and upset to see the American flag being flown upside down.
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According to NBC and other outlets, the flag was flown upside down on purpose, in an act of protest by Yosemite employees.
An American flag flying incorrectly is a spiritually treasonous act. It was a sore sight for those wanting to witness a magnificent natural event at one of the nation's pride and joys. However, there are acceptable reasons for flying a flag upside down.
Usually, a flag flown upside down represents an emergency, per the United States Flag Code. "The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property."
I suppose the description is fitting here, as the Yosemite employees feel they are indeed experiencing dire distress. They spoke to The San Francisco Chronicle to explain their act of protest.
Flag Flown Upside Down To Protest Federal Cuts And Job Losses
Since Trump took office, he's been cutting up the federal government and its regulations as though it's arts and crafts. This has seriously affected the feasibility of maintaining the natural parks.
The protesting Yosemite employees spoke to The Francisco Chronicle to explain their protest.
"We're bringing attention to what's happening to the parks, which are every American's properties," said Gavin Carpenter, a maintenance mechanic at the park. "It's super important we take care of them, and we're losing people here, and it's not sustainable if we want to keep the parks open."
The Trump administration cut 1,000 jobs at the National Park Service earlier this month. This has made it a struggle for park employees to maintain the natural wonder.
The photographer who snapped the union-side-down flag wrote a statement on her Instagram story. Brittany Colt wrote, "This hit so close to home for me. I witnessed several of my friends lose their jobs overnight while leaving our public lands vulnerable. These people had very valuable jobs, such as Search and Rescue and keeping the restrooms and park clean for visitors. If we lose the public servants, the park experience will get only harder and potentially more dangerous for visitors."
