In a mea culpa, Haddam Democratic Selectwoman Melissa Schlag, who garnered widespread attention for kneeling during the Pledge of Allegiance in protest of President Donald Trump, said on Facebook Wednesday that comments she made were not intended to make all of her town seem "racist or fascist."
Following a board of selectmen meeting Monday that drew both sharp criticism and resounding support for her actions, Schlag was overheard saying: "This town is racist and facist." State Sen. Art Linares, who rallied against her actions before the meeting, called for her resignation.
In the lengthy post Wednesday that opened, "Dear Haddam, we need to talk," Schlag references the comment she made to a supportive friend, while acknowledging what she perceives as racism in the town.
"I want to apologize for making it seem like I thought ALL of Haddam was racist and fascist, that could not be further from the truth," Schlag wrote. "However, there are strong veins of fascism (forced patriotism) and racism running deep in Haddam."
Schlag's protest at the July 16 board of selectmen meeting drew more than 150 people to the small town's firehouse Monday, where an agenda filled with the procedures of town gave way to a spirited discourse on the First Amendment.
Schlag again knelt during the Pledge of Allegiance, mirroring dissent shown by NFL players last season. She was not the first local elected official to take a knee during the pledge. For the past 18 months, two members of the Region 17 school board -- Democrat Eric Couture of Killingworth and Republican Maura Wallin of Haddam -- have been kneeling during the pledge at their board's meetings.
Following public comment at Monday's meeting, Schlag said: "I have a right to free speech. You have a right to dislike me. But please don't put words in my brain or thoughts in my brain. I mean no disrespect to any veteran."
Before the meeting, groups of supporters and critics rallied in town, challenging and defending the rights the flag represents, drawing attention to sharp political divides that have swelled during the Trump administration.
Linares, who represents the town in the legislature, was among the group of critics that gathered in town to decry Schlag's protest. "It's completely disrespectful," he said at the time.
At the meeting, Schlag pushed to keep the conversation open.
"I appreciate everyone coming out because this is truly town government at its best," Schlag said. "We need to continue the conversation or hate will continue to fester. We need to rip the bandage off. We can't wrap our sins in a flag and expect it to be OK."
Though she says she has been threatened and berated on Facebook in the past two weeks, Schlag challenged members of the page to use her post as a platform for discourse.
"This is not Haddam. This is not America. But it can be. We can do better," she wrote. "Therefore, let this post be an opportunity to have an open dialogue about racism and respect in our community. We need an intervention. But please, keep it civil, the next generation is watching."
By Thursday morning, the post had amassed more than 450 comments, a host of which centered on the First Amendment and the perceived disrespect she showed by kneeling during the pledge.
(c)2018 The Hartford Courant (Hartford, Conn.)
