Homeowners’ assoc. bans U.S. flag

Does anyone really know what it means to be a neighbor or what it means to have a sense of community?

My wife and I have been residents of the Wingspread townhouse community in Exeter Township for the past 16 years. Our oldest son has served in the United States Army Special Forces for the past 22 years. Our family’s tradition has been to display a United States flag on our front door and a single electric candle in a window each time he is deployed. We believe that this tradition has played a part in bringing him home safely from his many deployments. It is our way of being involved in keeping him safe.

Recently, during his last deployment, we received a notice that the executive committee of our homeowners’ association, our “neighbors,” had enacted a change to the community’s by-laws that prohibited us from displaying the flag. Shortly after receiving the changes, we received a letter threatening that we would be fined $50 per day until the flag came down. We responded in writing explaining why the flag was there and that we expected our son to be home in early October. We also included in our response a reference to a federal law, the Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005 which states, “Sec. 3. Right To Display The Flag Of The United States. A condominium association, cooperative association, or residential real estate management association may not adopt or enforce any policy, or enter into any agreement, that would restrict or prevent a member of the association from displaying the flag of the United States on residential property within the association with respect to which such member has a separate ownership interest or a right to exclusive possession or use.”

We heard nothing for weeks. Our son is home safely now and the flag is down. The other day, we received a bill from our homeowners association for $785.54 for legal fees for their attorney to research the flag law. No compassion, no empathy, no “we are glad your son has returned safely,” no explanation, just a bill stating it is due upon receipt!

It is one more thing to add to the list that makes you stop and think about neighbors and community. We should be able to do better! — Russell Diesinger,

Exeter