JUNE 4, 2024
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The Town of Wethersfield just denied a request to honor CT State Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier by raising a special flag for his funeral on June 5th.
Trooper Pelletier, a 9-year veteran of the Connecticut State Police and member of the 125th Training Troop, was killed in the line of duty when he was struck during a traffic stop on Interstate 84 by a driver who fled the scene on May 30, 2024.
During yesterday's Town Council Meeting, a motion was raised to change the Town's flag policy so that in certain circumstances, such as the death of Trooper Pelletier, a special flag could be flown without having to follow the normal flag policy which requires 30 days advance notice for any requests. The link to the video is below:
Councilman Rich Bailey raised the request to fly the "thin blue line" flag for just one day to honor Trooper Pelletier. Not to repeat it every year, but just to fly it on June 5th to coincide with his funeral.
“I think there’s a strong validity to it,” Bailey said.
Flags in the state are currently flying at half-mast in honor of Trooper Pelletier and will remain that way until after his funeral.
Councilwoman Emily Zambrello said, "I will absolutely not support flying the "thin blue line" flag if that's' the flag that's the decision. That flag was either created or at least became very prevalent in response to the Black Lives Matters protests. It's viewed as antagonistic, even if you don't see it that way, and I don't think that's a good flag to fly without further discussion."
The motion failed to pass in a 5-3 vote.
The five democrats who voted against the motion were Mayor Ken Lesser, Cynthia Clancy, Emily Zambrello, Miki Duric and Jane Roets.
After the meeting, Mayor Lesser claimed "the flag doesn’t only represent supporting police."
“It has now been used by white supremacist groups and other far right types of groups. Even many police departments around the country and in the state of Connecticut say we don’t authorize or use that flag,” Lesser said in order to justify his "no" vote.
Facebook group Because of the Brave said, "the Town does not value the dedication and service of its police officers. It's a straightforward act of remembrance that should be carried out."
Meanwhile, the transgender progress pride flag was raised today over Town Hall for Pride Month to honor the LGBTQ+ community.
Defenders of the transgender pride flag raising were quick to point out the request followed the Town's flag policy, unlike the request for the "thin blue line" flag.
The ceremony was attended by Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, State Senator Matt Lesser and others, and featured keynote speaker Miss Connecticut USA Shavana Clarke.
