Fight Over Yellow Ribbons Brews Again in Litchfield

Five yellow ribbons are at the center of a battle in Litchfield that has gone back and forth for years.

For of the five ribbons that had been placed on trees on the Litchfield green in show of support for American service members have again been taken down and residents are fighting to put them back up.

In 2009, a local board banned the ribbons. They said the ribbons cause a dangerous tree-killing fungus and would also set a precedent to allow other causes to add ribbons.

In 2010, town officials said first decided to allow a single yellow ribbon on the trees, then decided to allow five -- one for each branch of the military.

In August the  board of warden and burgesses, a group of seven elected officials who govern a small part of Litchfield that included the green, decided to take four of them down.

Val Caron’s son Mark has served in the Air Force for the past decade. On Wednesday, he said a promise has been broken. 

"I want them up now, not by the time he comes home, they should be up today," Caron said. "Every time we look and drive by this green, it shows. It reminds me of my kid and a lot of other people's kids."

Caron said he has asked why the ribbons were removed and has not been given a good reason.

"Couldn't answer that, there was no time for that. The way it was said to us, you can't ask questions," Caron said. 

NBC Connecticut went to the borough board's office and called but did not get an immediate response.

"They're all good people. Unfortunately, as a group, it seems they're making some poor decision," said  Gary Gillman, who confronted the board at a meeting on Tuesday last night for answers.

"Last night we hoped to get the reasoning why they're making these decisions and they were unable to even say a word about it," Gillman said.

Some residents are trying to coordinate a meeting with the board to come up with another compromise.

"We're just not going to walk away. If we can't do this for our kids as our reminder to everybody else, that's what we're going to work on," Caron said.
 

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