Visitors at Yosemite National Park were perplexed to find the American flag hanging upside down at the national park. Did someone make an error on the job or what gives?
Visitors saw the flag draped over the side of the 7,5000 rock called El Capitan at Yosemite Park. The stars and stripes were pointing down at the ground. Reportedly, Gavin Carpenter, a maintenance mechanic at the park, hung the flag upside down to protest Donald Trump and his downsizing of the federal government.
Nationally, hanging the American flag upside down is a sign of distress but also is considered to be in poor taste.
"We're bringing attention to what's happening to the parks. Which are every American's properties," Carpenter said. "It's super important we take care of them. And we're losing people here. And it's not sustainable if we want to keep the parks open."
American Flag As Act Of Defiance
Earlier this month, the Trump Administration fired 2,000 people from the US Forest Service and 1,000 people from the National Park Service. But hanging a flag upside down is meant to be like a distress signal, not an act of defiance.
Photographer Brittany Colt shared on Instagram a photo of the flag.
"I witnessed several of my friends lose their jobs overnight while leaving our public lands vulnerable. These people had very valuable jobs. Such as Search and Rescue and keeping the restrooms and park clean for visitors," she wrote. "If we lose the public servants, the park experience will get only harder and potentially more dangerous for visitors."
Government officials also protested the firings as well.
