Displaying the Thin Blue Line Flag as a means of showing support for the police is under increased scrutiny due to the flag’s adoption by white supremacist groups, like those involved in the violent insurrection at the capitol on January 6, and the related use of the flag as a statement of opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement.

As another Martin Luther King Day passes, I am struggling with the images and messages I see from white Americans, like myself, celebrating the resilience, the strength and the victories of Dr. King without acknowledging that much of white America reacted with bitter hatred and violence toward Dr. King and the movement he helped lead.