The end of last week, the Thursday through Sunday that bracketed the 4th of July, American flags lined Main Avenue between 5th and 13th streets. About 45 of them. Secured by a cable loop through a hole in the staff and the holder, they flew through the night.
A small solar powered light with a battery, aimed upward, met the legal requirement and precedent to not fly an American flag in the dark.
A city official said that the cable lock was to prevent the flags from being stolen or removed and vandalized in some way.
Granted that this was the first time that flags had been up through three nights as a part of the city’s expanded holiday activities – in previous years Durango VFW Post 4031 members placed them early in morning of the 4th and then collected them before dusk – but utilizing locks doesn’t seem to us to be Durango.
Could we have assumed the best and skipped the locks?
Locks in public places suggest the worst. Downtown patio chairs and tables with a light chain circling through their legs until a midmorning opening, or after a 6 o’clock close? That makes one skirt doorways, and look over their shoulder.
The downtown Durango patios we see do not include chains. Nor, for that matter, are downtown murals which stretch to the sidewalk being marked or colored over, or public art and sculpture defaced.
There is respect for Durango’s appearance and appeal.
The next time it’s time for the American flags, let’s skip the cable locks.
