The Southern Ute Tribe of Colorado has been accused of being "anti-American" for barring the placement of the U.S. flag atop a construction pole.
The tribal council ordered Arviso-Okland Construction, the company hired to build a new casino on the reservation, from displaying the flag. The move caused some confusion, The Durango Herald reported, and some tribal members said they have been harassed.
"It set off a lot of people - that this tribe is anti-American," Chairman Clement J. Frost told the paper.
But the tribe acted out of respect, Frost said. He said placing the flag atop the crane was disrespectful to the symbol.
"We want to emphasize that our decision was the result of a profound respect for and pride in the symbols of our two nations," the tribal council said in a statement. "The Tribal Council's respect for these symbols led to our decision to not fly either flag from the top of a crane on tribal land."
Get the Story:Utes’ decision to ban flag out of respect (The Durango Herald 4/27)
Action OK with tribal members (The Durango Herald 4/27) Earlier:
Tribe: No U.S. flag on crane (The Durango Herald 4/22) $rl Southern Ute Tribe - http://www.southern-ute.nsn.us
