NEW: Second Incident, American Flag at Brown University Spray Painted With Swear

GoLocalProv News Team

NEW: Second Incident, American Flag at Brown University Spray Painted With Swear

Thursday's incident -- a swear spray painted on an American flag at Brown.
The American flag controversy at Brown University in Providence took a new and disturbing twist on Thursday, when a bench in front of the Theta Alpha fraternity at Chapin Hall, which is painted as an American flag, was spray painted with the words “Fuck Ur Flag.”

A video and photos secured by GoLocalProv show the spray paint across the bench. A number of students at Brown told GoLocal that they believe the new vandalism was tied to last week’s desecration of flags that had been placed on the main quad as part of the Veterans Day ceremonies.

A Brown student was caught on video tearing Veterans Day ceremonial flags, throwing them on the ground.  

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

U.S. military veterans who are students on campus immediately decried the situation, and Rhode Island businessman and retired U.S Army Major Giovanni Feroce widely criticized the actions.

Feroce blamed Brown President Christina Paxson for her lack of attention to the destruction.

A student last week destroying American flags tied to a Veterans Day event.
Anti-Flag, Anti-Veteran Sentiment Building At Brown

On Tuesday, Brown University student and Air Force veteran Tristan Hood called for a greater dialogue around military veterans at the college, following the flag-trashing incident prior to Veterans Day.

"I was in the Air Force for four years. I did transportation logistics and completed two tours in Baghdad 2008 and 2010. Then I had a buddy in Afghanistan call me, I spent a year there for a private company," said Hood. "This is why Veterans Day is important to me. I was part of both these battles, and if I can't take pride in what I did, then how was it worthwhile?"

Brown President Christina Paxson has refused to be interviewed on the incident.
Two Sets of Values

There is a growing concern in some circles, on and off campus, that Brown is treating repeated acts of violence and hate differently. Paxson publicly responded to the Veterans Day flag-trashing incident nearly six days after the actions had occurred. 

Efforts to reach a Brown spokesperson for comment were unsuccessful and the Brown Department of Public Safety refused to confirm Thursday night that an incident report had been filed relating to the spray painting of the swear on the flag.


25 Ways to Celebrate Veterans in RI & New England - 2016

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.