Dorothy Autin
July 21, 2020
Positive test rate drops below 10 percent; cases rise by 1,691 statewide
July 21, 2020
On Friday, July 17, Houma native Marty Chaisson stood for roughly two hours on the corner of the Southland Mall parking lot while holding the American flag up high for passersby.
He returned the following day, displaying the flag for another two hours before he was asked to leave by mall security. On Sunday, Chaisson moved his demonstration to Performance PowerSports, where he was joined by about 30 people.
Chaisson said the event was “a recognition of the flag and also recognition of what this country stands for,” and a reminder of what it means to be an American.
Although there were participants who brought President Trump flags that Sunday, Chaisson said the gathering was not meant to be a political statement for one particular party.
“[Trump flag] was not something I was representing; that is what they were representing,” he said. “That’s what that flag meant to them.”
Attendees brought flags supporting police officers and firefighters, too, Chaisson noted, and if someone brought a presidential candidate Joe Biden flag, he wouldn’t have had a problem with it. “It’s on them; it’s about what they believe,” he added.
For Chaisson, a Navy and Marine Corps veteran, it’s about showing support for the American flag.
“This flag that I display has no political affiliation other than it’s our nation’s standard. It doesn’t just represent the right or the left. It doesn’t represent a particular race, gender, religion, or singular belief,” he wrote on Facebook following the event.
“To me, it represents a nation. An entire nation. One that has seen enough blood shed from the hands of our own people,” his statement continued. “It should be the one symbol that unites us, not tear us apart from within.”
Although he fully believes in what the flag stands for, Chaisson acknowledges it has stood during troubling times in America.
“Our country has made its fair share of grave mistakes, absolute atrocities,” he shared. “I mean, not just in the Civil War…It all started with going into a land that somebody took over.”
“I can’t change what happened in the past; nor am I responsible for what happened in the past,” he continued. “What I am responsible for is what’s going to happen next.”
Chaisson feels that there is too much “fear of the unknown” in the nation, and the mainstream media isn’t telling the whole truth, in regard to politics and the pandemic. “The numbers aren’t adding up,” he said.
He also said the Governor John Bel Edwards’ statewide mask mandate doesn’t make any sense to him because there’s information out there stating masks don’t work. “I think [the mask mandate is] just trying to see who’s willing to comply and who’s not,” he continued.
The last time the country united was following the events of 9/11, Chaisson noted. “It didn’t matter what political party you were; what happened on 9/11 was wrong,” he continued. “And the nation gathered around — and the one symbol that stood true was the flag.”
Chaisson served in Afghanistan and Iraq. “I’ve learned that war does not help anyone,” he shared on his time serving overseas. “I’ve learned that there are good people, no matter where you go — good people that just want basic morals and ethics: be kind, help one another, do your part, do something bigger than yourself.”
