Unrest over flag decal deepens in Chester

Dissension among firefighters in Chester, where one was suspended last week over an American flag decal on his locker, deepened yesterday after another member of the squad wore a hat with an American flag patch stitched upside down.

Flags should be flown upside down only to signal extreme distress, according to federal regulations. Upside-down flags are sometimes shown as a sign of protest.

Over the summer, Chester Fire Commissioner James Johnson banned all decorations on locker doors after firefighters argued over the posting of a cartoon at Fire Station No. 2 that some found offensive. Robert Butler, a black firefighter who posted the cartoon on his locker as a protest, was suspended without pay for a day when he replaced the cartoon with a sign that read, "Black man has no free speech."

The directive to clear the lockers took effect Aug. 29 but was not enforced until last week. Firefighter James Krapf was suspended without pay Thursday and Friday after he refused to remove the flag decal from his locker. He is scheduled to meet with Johnson tomorrow.

Butler wore a knit cap with an upside-down flag yesterday. He said he was not protesting the federal government but wore it "as the common meaning" of distress.

Firefighters who complained to the commissioner were told that no departmental rule barred Butler from wearing the flag upside down, said Stacy Landrum, president of the Chester firefighters union.

Johnson could not be reached for comment yesterday.