Posted on 04/27/2002 6:46:21 AM PDT by fivetoes
An American flag that hung in an office window for seven months after Sept. 11 was removed recently when a property manager deemed it "inconsistent" with the building's policies.
On Sept. 13, John Bevins brought the 8-by-10 foot flag to work to show his "patriotism and solidarity" with the rest of the country after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Bevins, 40, lives in Berthoud and works as an engineering designer at Quantum Corp. in Boulder.
Bevins and his co-workers hung the flag in a window at the Quantum office, located in the building at 4001 Discovery Drive on the University of Colorado Research Park.
"I put it there because I noticed there wasn't a flag out there," Bevins said, sitting in his office cubicle.
On April 12, Bevins received notification that Linda Pomeroy, assistant property manager at the building for Carr Real Estate Services, wanted the flag removed immediately. Carr Real Estate is an affiliate of CarrAmerica, which rents the office space to Quantum.
Bevins said Quantum management supported hanging the flag in the window but had to adhere to building policy.
In her e-mail to Quantum, Pomeroy said, "While we appreciate displays of patriotism, curb appeal is an important aspect of our building. ... Please instruct your employee(s) to remove window decorations that are inconsistent with existing blinds."
Bevins and his co-workers took the flag down on April 17. He said he was angered by some of Pomeroy's comments in her e-mail.
"The flag is not a window decoration," Bevins said. "Linda Pomeroy needs to know there's a difference between window dressing and support of our country, in a time of war no less."
Another employee at Quantum, 51 year-old software designer and Vietnam veteran Patrick Tatro of Longmont, questioned Pomeroy's order to remove the flag.
"When I asked her point blank who was the one who said the flag had to come down, she referred me up the chain of command," he said. "I couldn't get anyone in their management to say they support the fact that they made us take the flag down."
Tatro pointed to a collapsed cardboard box pressed against the inside of a window on a different wing of the building.
"I guess that doesn't attract from the curb appeal, though," he said. "That's probably been there for a year."
While Pomeroy acknowledged that she wrote the e-mail that said the flag had to be taken down, she said it was "per building policy" and declined to comment further.
Karen Widmayer, senior vice president of corporate communications for CarrAmerica, issued a statement Wednesday about the flag. She said Pomeroy had acted in accordance with company policy, but her company recognizes that "when the issue involves the display of our country's flag it can be somewhat more emotional and complex."
The statement also said CarrAmerica would "be working toward a solution directly with the personnel involved."
"I think we're going to find a solution that can make everybody happy and get our building in the right place," Widmayer said in a phone interview. "The property manager was trying to administrate the building correctly, and the flag got caught up."
When asked if the flag might be allowed back in the window, she declined to comment formally but suggested it might be a possibility.
"We have policies, but we have also been in this business for thirty-some years, and every building and its situation really needs some consideration about it logically. It's not always about policy."
As of Thursday, neither of the two men involved had been contacted by CarrAmerica.
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CarrAmerica Realty Corporation
Denver
7600 East Orchard Road
Suite #360N
Greenwood Village, CO 80111
Tel: 303/221-8800
dmurr@carramerica.com
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CarrAmerica Realty Corporation
Corporate Headquarters
1850 K Street, NW
Suite 500
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: 202/729-1700
Fax: 202/729-1150
www.carramerica.com
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Quantum Corporation
4001 Discovery Drive,
Suite 1100
Boulder, CO 80303
Fax: 303-604-5762
-------------
Quantum Corporation (Corporate Headquarters)
501 Sycamore Drive
Milpitas, CA 95035
Phone: 408-894-4000
Fax: 408-894-3218
www.quantum.com
Quantum and its employees need to know that the people of the United States are behind them on this one.
If the flag did not ahhere to building policy then it should not have been allowed in the first place. Removing it because it has become boring is not the right thing to do.
Perhaps CarrAmerica needs to install a flag pole out in front of all of its buildings.
There's the answer right there. Email sent.
These inferior-decorators and unpatriotic PCers would have probably been aghast during WWII at the little "Gold Star" flags in the windows of families who lost military loved ones.
The flags probably severely clashed with the bereaved mom's venetian blinds or drapes.
Sickening creeps.
Leni
Give me my U.S. flag, while I can still see it fly.
I would suggest that every do the same hannity@foxnews.com
CarrOsama Realty Corporation
CarrYassir Realty Corporation
CarrJihad Realty Corporation
How about traitors?
This would NEVER happen where I live.
Indonesians are proud to fly their flag.
The Koreans I know have apartments and houses adorned with the Korean flag (whether on biscuit tins, fans, or televisions) throughout their abode.
Both the Indonesians and Koreans have a 100% right to their patriotism.
Why not Americans?
Yes it is their property. However, if this case were highlighted in most countries in the world, they would not only lose face, but also customers. Worst case scenario, Physical assault.
If these people really despise the American flag, maybe it's time for them to stop hiding behind it.
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