Ohio FOP: ‘Angry mob’ has tried to make ‘thin blue line’ flag racist, calls for Chardon superintendent to reverse ban

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The president of the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police is asking Chardon Schools Superintendent Michael Hanlon Jr. to reconsider the district’s ban on the “thin blue line” flag.

Gary Wolske, who heads the group that represents 25,000 Ohio law enforcement officers, tried to reason in an open letter that the ban on the pro-police symbolism should be reversed for two reasons. He stated:

“Travel through any Ohio community and you’ll see vehicles with blue line stickers, flagpoles with blue line flags, and even yards with blue line signs. These aren’t racists. They’re our neighbors,” Wolske added.

Cleveland NAACP president reacts to Chardon ‘thin blue line’ flag controversy

Here is the full letter from Ohio FOP President Wolske, where said an “angry mob” has made the flag something political:

The controversy stems from a Friday night football game where Chardon High School players carried the “thin blue line” American flag onto the field when they faced Eastlake North High School.

The Geauga County commissioner has since called for Superintendent Hanlon to resign from his position.

County commissioner to schools superintendent: 'Your letter sickens me and so many others'

Hanlon admitted in a prepared statement that the Chardon community “developed a special relationship” with law enforcement after first responders were called to the February 2012 high school shooting that left three dead and three others injured, but said the flag of pro-police sentiment is not acceptable at academic contests because it can be “interpreted as a racially-motivated action.”