An upside-down American flag attached to Boulder’s Second Flatiron, noticed the latest round of federal employee layoffs hit NOAA and NWS offices across the country, has been removed by city staff.
Staff removed the flag to maintain the natural area, staying consistent with its practice of removing abandoned and unauthorized items and displays from open space lands, Phillip Yates, spokesperson for Boulder’s Open Space & Mountain Parks, said. He did not say whether leaving items on the Flatiron was a crime.
The city will try to locate the flag owner and return any recovered items, Yates said.
At least one social media user posted video of the upside-down flag on Thursday afternoon, as layoffs at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Weather Service offices unfolded around the country, including in Colorado. Neither agency has said specifically how many employees were laid off in Boulder, which hosts offices for both federal departments.