Photo Courtesy of Tom McCourt
It was noticed by many in the Helper community recently that an unknown individual had scaled the famous Balance Rock and erected a rainbow flag, commonly representing the LGBTQ community, above the American Flag.
Mayor Lenise Peterman released a statement on Tuesday morning to inform all that the flags have been removed from the rock as of Monday afternoon. She also stated that the property belongs to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and is not within the Helper City limits. Safety was also a large concern for all those involved.
There were a number of citizens that found offense in the rainbow flag being displayed over the American Flag. Mayor Peterman stressed the fact that the action of those that placed the flags was not city sanctioned. However, she did take time to note that she admires the passion of the people within her community.
According to the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, after receiving many phone calls regarding the matter, the Search and Rescue were planning an attempt to remove the flag. After the removal, a release regarding legality and respect was planned to be released. However, the removal took place before the office was able to make the attempt.
“I appreciate the passion exhibited by the community as we diligently worked to resolve this issue as quickly as we could given safety considerations,” Mayor Peterman stated.