Oregon Mall says U.S. flags on kiddie train must go
By Emily Sinovic KATU News and KATU.com Staff Jul 29, 2012
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One of the American flags that decorates the children's train at the Clackamas Town Center (photo courtesy Thomas Phelps).
CLACKAMAS, Ore. - A fight over the American flag is brewing at the Clackamas Town Center.
The manager of the children's train at the mall says he's being forced to remove flags that he uses to decorate the train ride.
Why? The mall told him the flags are against policy.
Thomas Phelps said he was floored when he got a letter from mall management telling him that the flags he put on the train a few weeks ago were "unapproved visuals."
That reference didn't sit too well with Phelps, who also happens to be a military veteran.
"That is dedicated to veterans and military, police, firefighters, EMTs - all those people that daily put their lives on the line for us," Phelps said. "That's what it's dedicated to. And if you're going to call that a Christmas decoration or something, then I'm sorry, I don't want to be around you. You're not in my country."
Phelps said he would understand if it was causing a problem but he said nobody has complained - not once.
And he isn't alone in his feelings. Connie Marsden, a local grandmother, told us "It's the United States. That's our flag. We should be proud of it. Not be forced to take it off a little ride for the kids."
The mall did not allow our news camera on its property but a family who took a train ride on Sunday told us they enjoyed the ride and didn't understand why the flags were a problem.
The Clackamas Town Center sent us a written response when we asked for comment. General Manager Dennis Curtis wrote in an e-mail "we honor, appreciate and respect everything the U.S. flag represents."
Still, Phelps said mall management isn't budging and he's prepared to lose his job before he takes down the flags.
"I may be fired, I may be thrown out of the mall, but I am not taking it down," he said.
Once the word got out about what was going on, folks started talking about it not only on the KATU comment board and Facebook page, but across the web. Here's a look at some of what people were saying Sunday evening:
I wonder what flag(s) the mall management honors? That is, if it or they honor anything? katu.com/news/local/Mall-sa...
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