Local News in Brief : Flag-Waving OK, but Only if It’s Quiet

A giant American flag can continue to fly “high and free” only if it flies quietly, the Long Beach City Council decided Tuesday.

The council refused in a 7-2 vote to grant a waiver from the city’s noise ordinances to Thomas (Ski) Demski, who was cited last year after neighbors complained that the flag’s flapping kept them awake on windy nights.

Demski was charged with a misdemeanor for allegedly violating the noise law, but it was thrown out by a judge, who said the complaint was not properly signed by a city official. The city prosecutor’s office is appealing that dismissal.

Demski, whose 125-foot flagpole beside his Lime Avenue residence has become a local landmark, said the waiver should be granted “so that Old Glory may always fly high and free.”