TRAVERSE CITY -- Owners of a local gun and lock shop fired a longtime employee who inverted an American flag and directed a racial slur at President-elect Barack Obama.
Hampel's Inc. acted to defuse community outrage over Wednesday's flag and slur incidents by publicly saying they'd fired employee Rodney Louis Nyland, 54, of Traverse City, on Thursday.
"He's out and we've taken actions to apologize to the community for his action," said Jack Fellows, a Hampel's salesman and spokesman.
Fellows and locksmith Tom Hampel, son of owner Karl Hampel, acknowledged receiving angry calls about Nyland's comments to the Record-Eagle after voters selected Obama to be the 44th president of the United States.
Nyland flew the American flag upside down on Wednesday and told a reporter he did so because it symbolized "an international signal for distress and we feel our country is in distress because the n----- got in."
An hour later, Nyland said, "I regret my choice of words. That was a poor choice and I apologize. It's probably not appropriate."
It wasn't enough. Readers flooded the Record-Eagle with letters to the editor, the story popped up on numerous Web logs, Hampel's took mostly negative phone calls, customers pledged to boycott the business, and a few people protested the store on Thursday and Friday.
Jon Butler, 27, and his friend Ryan Emerson, 23, both of Traverse City, stood outside Hampel's Thursday evening with an American flag and poster that read "Racism is not free speech."
"We hate blatant racism," Butler said. "It disgusts me."
Mary Pierce, a member of Traverse City's Human Rights Commission, said the incident will be discussed at the commission's 5:30 p.m. Monday meeting.
"I was absolutely shocked at what happened because our community has been, in general, so respectful of one another," Pierce said. "It was a shock that such blatant racism was expressed."
Nyland acted on his own to invert the flag, without Karl Hampel's knowledge, Fellows and Tom Hampel said.
Nyland could not be reached at his Traverse City home for comment.
"It's a huge embarrassment for me and I take this personally. I'm a Hampel and I'm very embarrassed about this," Tom Hampel said.
Some community members also voiced concern over the reversed flag.
The U.S. Flag Code states that the American flag should never be flown inverted "except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property." Experts suggest it is unreasonable to argue political protest constitutes dire distress.
Disabled World War II veteran Maury Cole, of Fife Lake, said the flag incident offended him. Since the flag flown above the store was desecrated by its inversion, Cole said, it should be properly removed, folded and turned over to a Veterans of Foreign Wars post for appropriate disposal.
"My concern was with the disgrace to the American flag," Cole said.
Quartermaster Doug Jordan, of the VFW Post 2780 in Traverse City, a Marine and Vietnam war veteran, said the post would accept Hampel's flag for disposal in a ceremony with other tattered flags.
"We'd accept it and destroy it and I think it would be appropriate because they displayed it improperly," Jordan said.
Jordan also said respect should be shown for the new commander in chief.
"It doesn't matter whether you voted for him or not," he said.
Fellows said Hampel's is not opposed to retiring the flag and said they did not intend to dishonor American veterans.
"We have always supported our veterans and are grateful for their service," he said. "We owe everything to these folks."
Meanwhile, Nyland won't lose his volunteer position with the Elmwood Fire Department in Leelanau County, said Chief Ray Haring.
"It has nothing to do with the fire department, as far as I know," Haring said. "He's an exemplary (emergency medical technician) and firefighter and it doesn't matter the color of your skin. (You) get the same good treatment from him."
Letter from Hampel's
November 7, 2008
Hampel's, Inc. and the Hampel family apologize to our community for the regrettable incident of Wednesday, November 5.
An individual employee, acting on his own, and not representing Hampel's, Inc., has offended us and our community with actions and words unacceptable in civil discourse.
We repudiate and condemn these acts and statements, and the offender has been dismissed. The Hampel family does not condone, nor will tolerate such behavior.
We defend the honor of the American flag, the dignity of the office of the President of the United States, and we respect the integrity of our President-elect Obama.
We ask for your forgiveness and your understanding for this very uncomfortable position into which we have been thrust.
We shall continue to serve our community with the same expertise and care as we have for the last 89 years.
-- The Hampel family and the staff of Hampel's, Inc.
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