
Army Vet Arrested for Hanging Flag Upside Down in Iowa, Charged with Desecration - ourmandave
https://photographyisnotacrime.com/2016/08/15/army-veteran-arrested-hanging-flag-upside-charged-desecrating-u-s-flag/
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dalke
The key paragraph is at the end:

> Charges [were] dropped.

> Apparently, Calhoun County deputies in Iowa never got the memo about the
> Supreme Court precedent protecting flag burning as a form of free speech and
> expression, and have perhaps unwittingly violated Martz’s civil rights when
> they arrested him and charged Martz with a crime.

> And that could be grounds for a lawsuit.

Hanging a flag upside-down as a protest is protected free speech. No state law
can override that decision.

~~~
Broken_Hippo
In context, I figured the charges being dropped referred to the dude in
Illinois arrested for flag burning previously, instead of the Calhoun man's
charges being dropped.

Either way, it does seem that it would be protected speech.

~~~
dalke
Mmm, I may have mixed up the context myself.

FWIW, a lot of people have flown the flag upside down in protest.

[http://www.commondreams.org/news/2009/07/11/upside-down-
flag...](http://www.commondreams.org/news/2009/07/11/upside-down-flag-has-vet-
fight-1st-amendment-rights)

[http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/upside-down-
distres...](http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/upside-down-distress-
flag-upsets-fla-community-article-1.1201461)

[http://www.thegazette.com/subject/opinion/letters-to-the-
edi...](http://www.thegazette.com/subject/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/fly-
flag-upside-down-to-protest-officeholders-20140711)

[http://seattle.cbslocal.com/2013/06/03/oregon-man-flying-
ame...](http://seattle.cbslocal.com/2013/06/03/oregon-man-flying-american-
flag-upside-down-to-protest-obama-presidency/)

[http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/woman-angers-hoa-by-
han...](http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/woman-angers-hoa-by-hanging-flag-
union-down-as-war-protest)

Quoting the last:

> "The United States Supreme Court has been clear since as early as the 1930s
> that the flag can be flown in various ways as a demonstration of political
> viewpoints," said Hammer's attorney, Mari Newman.

