Crossroads Mall officials have agreed to change a flag displayed at their food court after locals complained about the offensive nature of the Vietnamese flag on display, one that was created by a government that forced many Vietnamese-Americans out of the country.
“Now that we have been made aware that some of our customers were uncomfortable with it, it will be removed as quickly as possible,” said Crossroads Shopping Center Marketing Director Sue Popma. “The message that we want to convey to the public is that all people are welcome at Crossroads, regardless of their nationalities or differences.”
The flag currently on display is the Flag of the People’s Army of Vietnam, the northern communists that worked with the Viet Cong to defeat the American forces during the Vietnam War, and are currently the ruling party. It is one of many international flags painted above the entrance to the Crossroads Public Market food court.
As Popma pointed out, the flag currently displayed is recognized by the United Nations. But while it is the nation’s official flag, resident Huy Duong and many other Vietnamese immigrants in the area find it offensive and its display callous.
For those that escaped the Communist regime and thousands of others who fled Vietnam after the war, that flag represents an oppressive, murderous, and ruthless administration and brings back terrible horrors, Duong said. He likened it to displaying the Confederate flag or Nazi swastika.
Across the United States, the flag has been widely debated. Cities, businesses and other organizations across the country have come under fire for using the Flag of the People’s Army of Vietnam.
Former Bellevue Mayor Don Davidson signed a proclamation committing the city to the use of the Heritage and Freedom Flag. Then-Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn also called for recognition of the South Vietnamese flag in 2010, and a resolution doing the same was passed by the Seattle City Council in June.
“We are not cultural experts, and we have not done extensive research on the history or meaning of any of the flags. The flags are displayed merely for decorative purposes and are not intended to make a political statement of any kind,” Marketing Director Sue Popma wrote in her response to Duong.
Popma repeated that statement in an email to the Reporter, adding that prior to the recent feedback they had received, they were unaware that there was anything potentially offensive about the Vietnamese flag.
Duong, however, said he was flabbergasted by the response he received from Popma. He said he found the comment that Popma and her team aren’t “cultural experts” sarcastic and insensitive.
“I understand the intention, but anytime you use a flag, you can’t say it’s just for decoration. Flags have meaning behind them,” he said.
More than a hundred people shared a post Duong made on Facebook outlining the issue, and several people wrote emails to the mall’s management team asking them to change the flag. A similar post Duong made on Reddit elicited a conversation over the mall’s response.
“It’s understandable to goof and not research beforehand, but after being informed of why the flag is offensive and hurtful, you’d think an ounce of sensitivity would be due,” one Reddit user wrote. “It seems flippant and rude to claim ignorance as a way of deflecting any responsibility.”
Popma said that her team never intended to sound callous to the issue, and was simply responding to one of multitudes of emails they receive every day.
“Each and every individual may not feel that their particular suggestion or request was responded to as quickly as they would like or in exactly the manner they had hoped for, but it is certainly our hope that our integrity and community spirit are apparent in every decision we make,” she said.
A replacement flag has already been ordered, and is expected to be installed in a few weeks.
