St. Cloud Mayor and Organizer Apologize After American Flag Flown Upside Down at Somali Event
St. Cloud Mayor Jake Anderson and event organizer Omar Podi have apologized after an American flag was flown upside down during a Somali Independence Day celebration. The city said Thursday, July 9, that organizers described the display as an unintentional mistake.
The incident occurred on July 3 at the Lake George Park Pavilion in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Police received a call at 5:29 p.m., corrected the flag without resistance, and said that organizers denied any intent to disrespect.
City Says Flag Was Corrected Before Speeches
Video from the event showed the inverted American flag on a city flagpole while hundreds of people attended the celebration. The gathering drew roughly 500 people at peak attendance.
An officer responded after police received the complaint. The department said the officer restored the flag to its proper position without objection from organizers.
Anderson said the flag was corrected before the first scheduled speaker took the stage at 6 p.m. He thanked residents who alerted police and said the city takes proper flag display seriously.
The mayor said St. Cloud had worked with the event organizer for more than 11 years. He added that city officials had not encountered a similar problem with the group before.
The permit was issued to Internal Housing Assistant, a local nonprofit serving immigrant communities. Podi, the organization’s executive director, accepted responsibility for the mistake.
Podi said the display was never intended to insult the United States, its citizens, or military veterans. He also said the organization would take steps to ensure the error does not happen again.
Council Member Criticizes Event Oversight
City Council member Scott Brodeen raised the incident during Monday’s council meeting. He said a resident contacted him on July 3 and asked whether the council had approved the display.
Brodeen went to Lake George, but the flag had already been corrected. A police officer told him the department had received several complaints before addressing the problem.
During the city council member’s remarks, Brodeen criticized organizers and political candidates attending the event. He questioned how such a visible mistake escaped notice.
Brodeen acknowledged that displaying an inverted flag can be protected political expression. However, he argued that organizers should not use it that way at a community celebration.
Organizers have consistently denied that the flag was part of a protest. No publicly released evidence has shown that anyone deliberately inverted it to send a political message.
Sauk Rapids resident Kathy Neumeister said she went to the park after seeing images online. She told Fox News that attendees she approached said they had not noticed the flag’s position.
Neumeister, whose husband served in the military for 36 years, questioned whether a city employee made the mistake. The city has not publicly identified who attached or raised the flag.
Federal Code Defines Inverted Display
The U.S. Flag Code says the flag should not be displayed with its union facing downward. An exception applies when it signals dire distress involving extreme danger to life or property.
Those federal flag display rules explain why the images triggered immediate complaints. An upside-down flag has long carried meanings connected to emergencies and political protest.
The Flag Code sets standards for respectful handling but does not list a federal criminal penalty in that section. Brodeen also recognized that an inverted flag can be used as a protected expression.
In this case, neither the city nor the organizers described the display as an intentional expression. The dispute has therefore focused on event oversight rather than the legality of a protest.
The timing intensified the response. The celebration took place one day before the United States marked its 250th Independence Day on July 4, 2026.
Somali Independence Day commemorates the 1960 formation of the Somali Republic. Events across Minnesota often include music, food, traditional clothing, art, and Somali flags.
This year’s Minnesota Somali cultural celebrations included gatherings designed to highlight heritage and civic participation. The St. Cloud controversy centered specifically on the American flag’s incorrect position.
Questions Remain About Who Raised Flag
The city’s statement resolved the immediate question of intent from its perspective. Officials accepted the organizer’s explanation that the display was accidental.
Several operational details remain unanswered. The city has not said who raised the flag, how long it remained inverted, or whether staff inspected the site.
It has also not announced any changes to event permits or flag-handling procedures. Such measures could include assigning an organizer to inspect ceremonial displays before public events begin.
The incident spread beyond St. Cloud after videos circulated online. Some criticism also targeted event sponsors and political groups with booths at the celebration.
There is no indication that police encountered resistance while correcting the flag. Authorities also reported no confrontation connected to the officer’s response.
As of Friday, July 10, the city’s latest update remained Anderson’s statement and Podi’s apology. The statement did not announce an additional investigation or disciplinary action related to the display.
