A defaced American flag hung upside down by student protesters at Marywood University led to anger, hurt and calls from alumni and community members for the students to be expelled.

On Tuesday, about 15 students protested the decision by a grand jury to not indict Ferguson, Missouri, police Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown. After hanging the flag, which included the statement “black lives matter,” the students lay in protest in the school’s rotunda. Campus security asked the students to remove the flag about 15 minutes after the protest began. A photo of the flag generated hundreds of angry comments on social media after Marywood’s student newspaper posted photos of the protest.

“We think our message definitely got misconstrued,” said senior Kirby Gordon, one of the protesters. “Our intent was not to offend anyone or disrespect anyone. The message was lost because we didn’t realize the effect writing on the flag would have.”

Read columnist Chris Kelly's take here.

Educational session

On Wednesday, members of the campus community came together for an educational session, where Ms. Gordon and members of the school’s student veterans group discussed the protest and each other’s perspectives. More educational sessions are planned for this week.

“It was not the protesting we were angry about. We fought for their right to protest,” said senior Christopher Smith, a leader of the Student Veteran Alliance. “As far as the defacing itself, I was angry about it.”

Ms. Gordon said she and the others decided to hang the flag upside down as way to show the country is in distress.

“We wanted to convey there is still injustice and inequality in the country,” she said. The protesters now understand why their treatment of the flag upset so many people, but were surprised at the backlash from the community.

“People called us communists ... One person was verbally attacked in her own apartment,” Ms. Gordon said. “I was surprised people were saying we should be deported or sent to North Korea.”

Vigil planned

The protesters and veterans now plan to hold a candlelight vigil in the next week to remember all people affected by violence.

As alumni and community members commented on Facebook, asking what happened to Marywood’s Catholic values and demanding the students be disciplined, the university’s president issued a statement on Wednesday.

“Marywood University understands our students’ First Amendment rights to freedom of speech, peaceable assembly and freedom of the press, but we abhor the desecration of the United States flag. Such an action is inconsistent with the mission of Marywood and our core values,” said Sister Anne Munley, I.H.M., Ph.D., university president. “As an institution of higher learning, we recognize that the circumstances of (Tuesday) have created the opportunity for education and dialogue. Due to the nature of the events, disagreements are expected; it is our hope, however, that this will be a learning experience for our students and for all in the broader community who wish to engage in respectful dialogue.”

The veterans alliance also issued a statement, in which the group’s leaders said they understand why many people are outraged.

“Although we all may have conflicting opinions on how these students protested, at the end of the day, part of our job as military personnel is to fight for their First Amendment rights to free speech and peaceful protest,” the statement read. “While we support their right to demonstrate peacefully, we do not support the way in which they went about it, namely the defacement of the flag. While it is permissible under the First Amendment, we feel it is disrespectful and offensive to all of us who were willing to give our lives in order to ensure that these students had that right to a peaceful protest.”

Contact the writer:

shofius@timesshamrock.com, @hofiushallTT on Twitter