North Texas Rental Home Community Residents Told To Remove All Flags: 'It's Just Terrible Timing'
CRESSON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Flags are at the center of a controversy in one Cresson rental home community, where residents being required to remove all flags, including American flags, from their properties by Sunday, Nov. 8.
Christopher Stephens is a resident who has flown his American flag at Cresson Pods since June.
That was until he said he got an email from management a week ago.
"It was a blanket statement that we received saying no flags will be allowed or tolerated on property," Stephens said.
According to the email, some properties had too many flags, which destroyed the "uniformity of the community."
The email stated that residents have to remove all flags, no matter their content or design by Sunday.
"It's just terrible timing," Stephens said. "Right now we don't need any more confusion or lack of hope or isolation."
Stephens, who is a veteran, flies a single American flag in his yard.
He said the rule to remove it is not in his lease.
He's been in contact with lawyers who he said tell him he is protected by the Federal Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005.
"I read back and forth every bylaw there is that I can find. Even if it there were, I would take the same stance," Stephens said.
With the timing of the election and Veterans Day next week, other neighbors say they are equally as frustrated, telling management they refuse to remove their American flags.
"There are veterans all the way through here, so to tell them to take down a flag that they fought for, it doesn't work," said resident Lonnie Colley. "We are not going to take down the American flag. We took down the political flag, but the American and Texas flag are going to stay up. They said that they would be in contact and let me know how that will go."
When CBS 11 spoke with complex management on the phone Thursday, they said they had no statement and referred to their email.
But residents said if they are continually asked to take down their American flags, they have every intention of taking legal action.
Cresson is about 25 miles southwest of Fort Worth.
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