When You See Symbols of Hate, Remove Them
Recently, a large Betsy Ross flag went up in my neighborhood.
Patriot Front member leading hate-filled white men through KC, prominently wearing the Betsy Ross flag.
To some, it may look like a quaint symbol of American heritage. But today, we cannot separate this image from what it now represents. Just weeks ago, the white supremacist group, Patriot Front, marched through Kansas City, carrying this very flag alongside Confederate symbols and shouting “Reclaim America.”
Their ideology is explicitly fascist and racist. And the symbols they choose are deliberate. That means when this flag appears in neighborhoods like ours, it is not just decoration. It is a message:
It signals exclusion to neighbors who are Black, brown, Jewish, female, queer, or immigrant.
It echoes the visual language of hate groups staking claim to our spaces.
It casts a shadow over our streets, warning some of us that we are not welcome or safe.
We don’t always get to choose the historical weight our symbols carry. But we do get to decide how we respond to them.
As historian Timothy Snyder reminds us:
“Symbols of hate are to some people a promise, to others a warning. Remove them. The moment you set your sights on civic decency, do something concrete to move things in that direction.”
At Solidarity Resist, we believe in reclaiming what America should stand for: liberty, dignity, and justice for everyone. That means confronting symbols of hate, even when they appear on a house in a well-manicured neighborhood.
A house in Fairway, KS, displaying a symbol now associated with the white supremacist group, Patriot Front, shortly after they marched in Kansas City.
We want to live up to the better version of the American ideal, where all people are created equal and have a right to exist. To live this ideal, we cannot remain silent in the face of intimidation, hatred, or bigotry.
What You Can Do:
Have conversations with your neighbors.
Attend your local neighborhood association meeting.
Share this post. Or write your own.
Make it known that this isn’t what we stand for.
Learn more by reading this website and signing up to get alerted to different events and actions you can participate in.
“Take responsibility for the face of the world. The symbols of today enable the reality of tomorrow. Notice the swastikas and the other signs of hate [or in current times, the Betsy Ross flag!]. Do not look away, and do not get used to them. Remove them yourself and set an example for others to do so.” - Timothy Snyder
This moment is part of a larger one. On September 11, 2025, communities across the country will rise together in a nationwide strike: a peaceful act of resistance for justice, accountability, and hope.
In solidarity,
A Watchful Community Member
