As the political tensions rise, here’s a story about a homeowner who was told by the Home Owners Association (HOA) to remove the American Flag from her home number on the curb.
This Patriot is an 82-year old grandmother Donna Cordero who lives in Westbrook Village in Arizona. A community of 4000 houses. Back in February she was asked by a firefighter why there were no house numbers painted on the curb. When she called the HOA they said she’d have to do it herself.
“I thought, wouldn’t that be nice to let people know that the person who lives here still believes in the flag,” she said.
Donna had decided to hire a company to paint it with her choice of artwork, which was the American Flag. She is a widow of two veterans, one wounded in World War II and both buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona.
She didn’t know that that HOA would dislike this and say it needed to be removed to maintain the look of the neighborhood.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Donna said. “I’m thinking, ‘Are you joking?’ Of all the things they pay attention to in this community, they’re looking at my little flag? It absolutely upset me. My neighbors that I’ve talked to can’t believe it either.”
The Westbrook Village Homeowners Association representative said that it’s not about the flag but it specifically says in the guidelines of the HOA to not put “decorative artwork” on the curb.
“This has nothing to do with being anti-American,” said Tom Canepa, the HOA’s vice president. “We have many residents who fly the flag properly and proudly and the HOA itself has been recognized for our appropriate displaying of the American flag. It has nothing to do with the flag. It has to do with fact that the standard is very clear in saying no decorative additions on the curb.”
DONNA SAYS SHE’S NOT REMOVING THE FLAG
Donna said she will not be removing the flag from her property and until this day we haven’t heard about anybody else removing it either. She went on to say: “You’ve got to stand for something or you will fall for nothing and I’m not going to fall for nothing. This is my property and I just can’t believe anybody would find that flag offensive.”