Upside down American flag is gaining attention outside a business in Westfield

WESTFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - An upside-down American flag is gaining attention outside a business in Westfield.

The upside-down flag outside of Cloots Auto Body in Westfield is certainly turning some heads. According to the owner, it is his form of protest against the current Trump administration.

If you have driven by Cloots Auto Body along Route 202 in Westfield, you may have noticed an upside-down American flag on a pole outside the business. The owner, Gary Cloutier, who's a left-leaning independent, believes that the current state of the country warrants this type of action.

"There's so much turmoil on so many fronts. You can't even you can't keep track of it anymore. There's just throwing so much at everybody to keep everybody off balance," said Cloutier.

Cloutier says he's in disagreement with many of President Donald Trump's polices, like mass deportations of undocumented immigrants and tariffs. "We went through part shortages when COVID was alive and well. We're going to go through the same thing. I'm going to have a hard time getting parts and supplies for people's cars," expressed Cloutier.

By displaying the flag in this manner, he hopes to draw attention to these issues and spark conversations about the state of the country. Some are applauding his bravery in doing so.

Molly Montgomery of Easthampton told 22News in a statement,

"I’m a firm believer in our first amendment, and I support Cloot’s Auto Body’s choice to exercise their freedom of speech. However, when business owners choose to use their platform to express their political opinions, they understand that they may alienate some current or potential future customers, and that’s a risk they have to be willing to accept. I applaud their bravery in doing so. I find that those that are upset about the American flag being used to express disapproval of the government are often the same people who give a complete and total pass to the flag code violations that happen all around us every day; every time someone wears an American flag tshirt or bandana, any time someone wipes their mouth with an American flag napkin after eating BBQ off of an American flag paper plate, every time someone lays an American flag beach towel down on the ground. Those are all flag code violations that nobody cares about. I think the outrage over an upside down flag is less about the love of the flag or the country , and more about feeding into the division between the left and the right. I agree with Cloot’s that our country is in distress. I love my country, and I believe in the Constitution. Whatever happens to this country happens to us all no matter what side we identify as, and I hope we will all figure this out sooner rather than later."

Cloutier's form of protest is also not a new or uncommon one. "Normally, we have seen this as a move from MAGA and the right across America. That is what we have seen, the flag blown upside down, more so and especially during Joe Biden's four years in office," said Political Consultant, Tony Cignoli.

But this bold move has received backlash from some members of the community, including former customers. They've expressed their disapproval online and even made threats to Cloutier and his wife, like saying they'll boycott his business by holding a rally on Saturday in front of his shop. The Facebook post read, "Fly the flag upside down, don't be surprised when your business goes down."

Cloutier responded to this, "If they want to have a rally. Hey, how about that's your right. You know, you have the right to free speech just like I do, you know? So if they want to do it, go ahead and do it. Stay off my property. That's all I got to say."

Cloutier does plan to continue hanging the flag upside down until he feels the country is moving in the right direction.