On Monday, the City of Hartford adopted a new flag policy that determined what types of flags are allowed to be flown on city property. That same day, a 6-2 council vote approved flying a Christian flag at city hall.
That flag went up on Thursday afternoon as members of the church community watched in the rain.
Councilmen Joshua Michtom and John Gale were the only members to vote no, while Councilwoman Maly Rosado was absent. A huge topic of discussion during the hearing was separation of church and state.
“I’m not going to get into the argument of separation of church and state,” said Councilman Amilcar Hernandez (D) who voted in favor. “There’s a lot the Christian community and others do in our community. We want to recognize the work they do in our community.”
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
Another topic of discussion at the hearing was 2022 Supreme Court case that ruled the City of Boston had violated the First Amendment by refusing to fly a Christian flag at its city hall.
“I can appreciate that there’s people that would be against it,” Luis Santiago, a pastor at Hope Family Church in Hartford, said. “But, we don’t always have to agree on everything.”
Many attendees were in favor of raising the blue and white flag in observance of the upcoming Easter holiday.
Local
“The city needs Christ,” Rafael Garcia said. “We shouldn’t separate church and state. The state needs church.”
The new ordinance passed by the council gives councilmembers the ability to decide what flags can be raised on city property. Members of the public cannot currently request for a flag to be flown.
