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Hamtramck City Hall (Deadline Detroit photo)
A federal judge has ruled that the city of Hamtramck did not violate the Constitution when it passed a resolution in 2023 banning the display of the Gay Pride Flag on city property.
In a 12-page opinion filed Monday, Detroit U.S. District Judge David M. Lawson cited all the reasons the ban was legal, and granted the city's request to toss the case before going to trial.
He ruled that the resolution did not show any religious motive and did not violate laws of equal protection.
Former City Council member Cartina Stockpoole, who was one of two plaintfiff's named in the suit, tells Deadline Detroit Wednesday morning:
"I am disappointed the judge refused to acknowledge the council vote was based on religion. The courts may not step up and defend the constitution but the people will continue to speak the truth."
She said she wasn't sure yet if she'll appeal.
The resolution allows the display of U.S., state, city and POW/MIA banners.
Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib, issued a statement to Deadline Detroit on Wednesday:
"It was clear from the beginning that there was neither discrimination nor preferential treatment for any group in our community. The city took a neutral stance and there was no selective enforcement, unlike the well known Boston city case in which the Supreme Court ruled against the city because of allowing some flags on city flagpoles while banning others."
"This ruling is a victory for the city and it vindicates our decision. This case will set an example for the whole country where this policy can be generalized and enforced, and I expect many cities to follow our lead and our legacy."
"An apology from the former power structure group that sued the city is not enough and they should take responsibility for the damages they caused to our city such as negative publicity on the media, defamation of character, and loss of resources."
I spoke to Stackpoole, a retired social worker who identifies as gay, back in September 2023 in a story I did for the Washington Post.
At the time, she recalled telling the all-Muslim city council and mayor, who are immigrants: “We welcomed you. We created nonprofits to help feed, clothe, find housing. We did everything we could to make your transition here easier, and this is how you repay us, by stabbing us in the back?”
Ghalib defended the action as one of neutrality, saying no group should be able to promote a political agenda on city property.
“We’re not targeting anybody,” he told me at the time. “We are trying to close the door for other groups that could be extremist or racist.”
In 2023, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who is a lesbian, weighed in on the resolution.
“I ask the city of Hamtramck to use its voice to speak up for all its people, take down the wall you have now built that has made this proud city into a national embarrassment,” Nessel said at a protest rally at the park across from City Hall. “Make no mistake, homophobia, transphobia are indeed forms of evil as much as Islamophobia is.”
Also Read by Allan Lengel:
A pride flag ban sparks accusations of betrayal in tiny Michigan city (Washington Post)
