Northport Pride flags removed in park dispute, compromise reached

Northport pulled roughly half of the Pride flags from Village Park after complaints that they were hanging above veterans banners, and the village is now drafting a formal policy for future displays. What began as a dispute over one stretch of lampposts turned into a standing-room-only debate at Village Hall and a test of how Northport will handle public symbols going forward.

The conflict hardened after a June 9 letter from Northport American Legion Commander William McKenna to village officials. McKenna said the Legion had heard from veterans, family members and supporters who were upset that Pride flags were placed above the Northport Hometown Heroes banners, which honor local service members. He said the objection was not to Pride flags themselves, but to the placement over the veterans banners, which he said diminished the intended recognition for those who served.

Mayor Donna Koch first ordered Pride flags removed from any lampposts that also carried a veterans banner, then adjusted the plan so that about half the Pride flags came down and some veterans banners were moved to a nearby fence by the Village Park playground. One of the banners relocated was for Bruce Adams, a Vietnam veteran. Koch also said someone angered by the arrangement went to the Northport police station and threatened to take matters into his own hands, and she described the threat as vandalism and a hate crime.

The issue drew a packed crowd to Northport Village Hall on Tuesday, June 16, where residents filled the room to weigh in. By the end of the meeting, village officials said Pride flags and veterans banners would remain visible, but on separate lampposts. Northport Pridefest said the compromise left nobody satisfied, while McKenna said the Legion was happy to see the two displays separated.

The dispute carries added weight because Pride flags had flown in Northport Village Park during June for the last four years, and Northport Pridefest said the village had approved the program each of those years. Pridefest, which recently received 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, opened its 2026 Pride Month schedule with an interfaith prayer service on May 28 and a Pride flag-raising ceremony on May 29. Pridefest in the Park was held on Saturday, June 20, in Northport Village Park.

The veterans banner program began on Main Street in 2024, expanded in 2025 and reached Village Park in 2026. Pride banners are locally sponsored at $100 for the month, while veteran banners cost $200 the first year and $100 in later years. For Northport, the fight now shifts from one disputed display to the broader question of what written rules will govern every future banner, flag and symbol in village space.