San Francisco’s police chief said the city’s rank and file will wear neutral face coverings to defuse a controversy after officers sent to patrol a May Day protest wore masks adorned with the “thin blue line” flag.
The police union ordered and distributed the masks emblazoned with black-and-white American flag with a blue stripe across the middle. The symbol is associated with the Blue Lives Matter movement, a display of unity among police officers in response to the national
Black Lives Matter movement.
In an email obtained by KTVU-TV, Chief Bill Scott told his officers Friday he considered the blue flag and stripe “a meaningful expression to honor fallen officers." However, he worried that some may perceive the symbol as “divisive and disrespectful.”
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