Homer Township Supervisor Flies American Flag Upside-Down After Trump Verdict

HOMER GLEN, IL — After a jury in New York convicted former President Donald J. Trump on 34 felony counts in his criminal hush money trial, some Trump supporters across the country flew the American flag upside-down to protest the conviction.

In Homer Township, Township Supervisor Steve Balich flew the flag upside-down outside the Township building on May 31.

While it is not a law, the U.S. Flag Code establishes advisory rules for the care and display of the flag, including never having it touch anything beneath it or never carrying it flat or horizontally. In the code, it states that the flag should never be upside-down, except to signal distress or danger.

In a post on Patch, Balich said the country "is in peril, and we, my friends, are at a crossroads."

He called Trump's conviction "a crisis in our democratic process."

"Choosing to fly our symbol of liberty upside down for that limited time was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made in my life. I love this country, and I love that flag," Balich said. "By making this statement, I wanted us as Homer Township residents to see the threat before us, reach out to our neighbors, and initiate peaceful discussions about what is occurring in our country. Like I stated previously, this is bigger than Republican vs. Democrat. We, as a community, need to peacefully engage with each other and stand strong together against this unlawfulness before us."

On June 1, residents started a Change.org petition calling for Balich to resign as township supervisor.

The petition states that flying the flag upside-down "enraged many veterans and alienated half the population in our community."

"His personal political views should never have been imposed upon us using a symbol that represents all Americans," the petition states.