West
Washington Democrats introduce legislation to remove George Washington from state flag
Progressive Washington state lawmakers have introduced a bill that could remove George Washington from the state flag.
House Bill 1938 aims to create a committee that will design a new state flag that “better reflects the diversity and values of all Washingtonians.”
According to the Democratic lawmakers who proposed the bill, the state flag “often faces criticism for its poor design and lack of relevance to the state’s identity.”
“The flag features a detailed portrait of George Washington, making it overly complex and difficult to reproduce which is a violation of key flag design principles that prioritize simplicity. Additionally, while George Washington is an important national figure, he has limited historical connection to the state itself. This makes his image less meaningful as a symbol for the state,” the bill states.
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Progressive lawmakers want to redesign the Washington state flag and reportedly remove George Washington from its design. (Getty Images)
The legislators say the flag is also aesthetically unpleasant because it “uses too many colors” and its design is “outdated and uninspired.”
The bill would establish a committee to develop a new design for the official state flag that reflects Washington’s “shared history, resources and diverse cultural communities.”
The committee would be comprised of representatives from the Washington State Arts Commission, legislators from the House and Senate, the secretary of state, a historian, designers, cultural leaders, tribal representatives, and citizen representatives from different regions of the state, appointed by the governor.
The committee would then solicit public feedback through outreach to schools, community organizations, tribes, public forums, virtual discussions and online surveys before approving a new design by July 1, 2028.
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The George Washington statue stands outside the Indiana State Capitol Building on July 16, 2015, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
Voters must approve the new flag design in the next general election before it can be adopted as the new state flag.
Democratic State Representatives Strom Peterson, Julia Reed and Greg Nance introduced the bill on February 11.
It is scheduled for a public hearing in Olympia before the House Committee on State Government & Tribal Relations on February 18, Fox28 Spokane reported.
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Washington lawmakers proposed changing the state flag, saying its design was outdated and the image of George Washington makes it overly complex to reproduce. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
The proposal has drawn criticism from Republican lawmakers in the state.
State Rep. Brian Burnett, a Republican, said to Washington radio station KPQ, “We have the third-highest crime rate in the nation. We have the third-highest cost of gas, the third-highest homeless population, and the fourth-most expensive housing. So this is what we need to be spending our time on? Are you kidding me?”
Reps. Strom Peterson, Julia Reed and Greg Nance did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Wyoming
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San Francisco, CA
S.F. police arrest 20 at 300-person SoMa block party during Pride
San Francisco police officers arrested 20 people late Saturday night in SoMa after breaking up an unauthorized “Stud Alley” block party with hundreds of participants, according to the police department. It marked the second round of arrests of Pride attendees this weekend after police arrested five people at the tail end of the Trans March on Friday.
Police officers arrived near Kissling and 11th streets at 10:58 p.m. and “encountered an unsanctioned and unpermitted block party” that had about 300 participants and a D.J., according to a statement from the San Francisco Police Department. The following details are based on the department statement and social media videos; two participants reached by Mission Local declined to comment.
The department said that the large crowd “prompted the response of additional SFPD resources.” Social media footage shows dozens of officers marching through SoMa streets armed with batons, wearing riot helmets and carrying plastic zip-ties.
Officers then gave an order to disperse, the department said, and told the D.J. to leave the area. The D.J. left but the partygoers did not, the department said, and officers tried to “disperse the crowd.” Two people “resisted,” the department said, and officers arrested them.
Several people also “vandalized two vehicles passing through the area,” the department said, and made them “inoperable.” The two vehicles may have been Waymos: One online video shows two Waymos in the street blinking hazard lights, and appears to show one officer telling others that the Waymos had been vandalized.
The party then reformed a few blocks later at Washburn Street about two blocks away, the department said, with about 200 people; the police shut that gathering down as well.
Footage from the scene shows a line of officers in tactical gear advancing rapidly on the crowd, shoving people out of the alleyway before forming a cordon line to block the street. In total, 18 people were arrested on Washburn Street, the department said, for “obstructing or delaying a peace officer and unlawful assembly.”
The department said that “makeshift barricades” had been set up to keep officers at bay; at one point in a video, an officer moves several large rocks that were placed in the street. Two officers sustained minor injuries, the department said.
SoMa has been the site of unsanctioned “Stud Alley” parties on the Saturday evenings of Pride weekend for at least the past six years. The parties have made headlines in past years for graffiti, broken windshields and outraged neighbors.
The organizers of Stud Alley posted an announcement this year that they would not host a party, saying that the party had recently “outgrown itself,” but reminded past party-goers of the unofficial slogan that is frequently graffitied onto walls around the party: Every alley is Stud Alley.
Jesse, a bartender at the nearby bar the Willow, reported seeing cops “everywhere” after the Saturday incident, when people “fled” to the bar to escape. He did not report hearing of any incidents of violence between party-goers and police.
The arrests mark the second encounter between Pride-goers and police this weekend. On Friday, at the end of the Trans March, police officers arrested five marchers for alleged vandalism and assault after march-goers allegedly spray-painted several statues and a person.
On Sunday afternoon, Washburn and Kissling streets still bore signs of the party. Spray painted on the walls of buildings were “Fuck SFPD,” “No Cops at Pride,” and “Every Alley Stud Alley.”


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