THE FLAG of [South] Vietnam is displayed in Westminster for a week in April (Flickr/John Sonderman).
A proposal to widen the number of commemorative flags flown on city property was rejected by the Westminster City Council on Wednesday night.
The council voted three to two – with Councilmembers Carlos Manzo and Kimberly Ho opposed – to take no action on Manzo’s motion to adopt a flag display policy similar to one recently approved by the Riverside City Council.
On May 2, the RCC approved a policy authorizing flags such as those observing Black History Month (February), LGBTQ Pride Month (June) and Latino/a Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct 15).
Manzo raised the point that the city flies the banner of the former Republic of (South) Vietnam for a week to commemorate the fall of Saigon in April 1975.
“There are a lot of groups that have suffered discrimination and by flying their flags we show solidarity with them,” said Manzo.
Councilmember Amy Phan West replied that it was impossible to fly the flag of every group that desired that and defended the display of the South Vietnamese flag as something supported broadly by a community with a large Vietnamese population.
“If we allow all other flags, we open up a can of worms,” she said.
Westminster generally flies the U.S., California and city flags.