Perhaps this is a sign that local politics are returning to sanity after the post-George Floyd frenzied purge of dissenting voices.
One of those purged voices we covered was in Barrington, Rhode Island, where Legal Insurrection Foundation is based. For almost 70 years, the Barrington United Veterans Council (BUVC) organized the Memorial Day Parade. The parade is still a big deal in town.
That all came to a screeching halt when, in 2020, BUVC objected to the Town Council flying the BLM flag over the Barrington War Memorial, which was maintained by BUVC. In the frenzied politics of the day, that led to retribution, with BUVC being removed from its historical role organizing the Memorial Day Parade. It was vindictive, petty, and an abuse of power — pretty much symbolic of the treatment of anyone who didn’t take a knee.
We covered the story in depth in March 2022, Veterans Group Alleges Retaliation For Opposing Flying BLM Flag Over Barrington (RI) Veterans Memorial:
On March 7, 2022, the Barrington, Rhode Island, Town Council voted to have the Town Manager organize the 2022 Memorial Day Parade replacing the Barrington United Veterans Council, which had organized Memorial Day parades for 68 consecutive years (excluding 2020-2021 when the parade was canceled due to Covid restrictions).The Veterans Council says it had no prior notice, was not consulted, and alleges retaliation by the Town Council after the Veterans Council and its leader Ret. Lt. Col. Paul Dulchinos vigorously opposed the flying of a Black Lives Matter flag and other political cause flags on the town flagpole at Town Hall, above the Veterans Memorial. That conflict, led by Dulchinos, rocked the town for over a year and continues to reverberate. Dulchinos, who served as the parade Master of Ceremonies for the past several years, was replaced by Frank “Scott” Douglas, a Naval War College Instructor who spoke out publicly in support of the Town Council’s decision to fly the BLM flag.Dulchinos, in an email to Veterans Council members, asserted, among other things: “This appears to be retribution for the BUVC having previously taken a stance against flying a BLM flag over its Veterans Memorial.” The Town Council denies that, but the sequence of events and presently-known documentation make a plausible suggestion of viewpoint retaliation ….
Read the whole post, it documents the history and the events leading up to the coup that displaced BUVC from its role as organizer of the Memorial Day Parade.
The elections of 2022 brought changes to Barrington. Two Independents won election to the school committee, which now is moderate (one moderate Democrat, two liberal Democrats, and two moderate Independents). At the town council level, two strong supporters of flying the BLM flag over the War Memorial and backing removal of BUVC didn’t run for reelection. The Democrats retain complete control of the council, but there appears to be at least a 3-person moderate majority.
And moderation and a respect for history led to restoration of the BUVC to its Memorial Day Parade duties. The Barrington Times reports:
The Barrington Town Council voted 3-1 to return organizational duties for the Memorial Day Parade to the Barrington United Veterans Council. Council members spent more than an hour debating the topic during Monday night’s meeting, and eventually settled on a motion calling for the town manager and BUVC to collaborate on the parade, and also make a coordinated effort to invite others to participate in the planning process. Specifically, the local veterans organization and the town manager will jointly reach out to all veterans in town and the individuals who organized last year’s parade….
Paul Dulchinos, President of BUVC, provided the following statement to Legal Insurrection:
Monday night at the monthly Town Council Meeting the Barrington Town Council voted to reinstate the Barrington United Veterans Council as lead planning organization for the Town’s Annual Memorial Day Parade. This restored a 6 decade uninterrupted tradition in which the BUVC planned and executed all of the Town’s Veterans Memorial Observances and Events per its TC recognized 1954 Chater.As part of the resolution to restore its lead, the BUVC agreed to reach out, invite and work with those that helped plan the Town’s parade last year after the BUVC had been stripped of its leadership role following a contentious two years where the BUVC had openly expressed opposition to the Town Council’s decision to fly controversial, unofficial partisan political banners under the US Flag at the Town Hall over a Veterans Memorial.The BUVC was supportive of this caveat as their membership has always been open to any Veteran who resides in town and has served his country honorably. In addition, the BUVC has never prohibited any community group or organization from participating in the town’s annual Memorial Day in the 66 years that it conducted a parade. All organizations and groups that desired to march in past BUVC run parades, completed applications in which they agreed to follow guidelines that maintained the solemnity and decorum of the day. BUVC parades are explicitly apolitical and all politicking and/or political advocacy during its execution is strictly prohibited. We owe that to those we memorialize on this day, those that gave their lives in defending the freedoms we hold dear.I view this as a significant step in the right direction towards reconciliation between the BUVC and the Barrington Town Council and I hope this will help heal some of the divisiveness created over the town’s controversial flag policy.
A small victory for sanity and tradition. Maybe a sign of a shift in local politics across the land? Hey, you can’t take away my dreams.
[Featured Image: Barrington Memorial Day Parade 2015, via YouTube]
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