Brentwood Flag Removal Dispute: What They’re Not Telling You

The American flag is a symbol. To many, it represents freedom and justice. To others, it is a symbol of racism, slavery, and injustice. What the American flag means to you is a matter of perspective. Regardless of your personal feelings, for the last 225 years, it has stood as a symbol of our country. Unfortunately, like all traditions and values, the American flag has come under attack. Who would ever have thought that Lafayette would become the battleground over whether or not the U.S. flag should be displayed?

It feels like an eternity has elapsed since the Brentwood flag removal in December. However, piecing things together takes some time. That’s especially true when Lafayette’s Clerk of the Council wields her “power” (yet again) for the political benefit of one side. She alone has decided you don’t need to know the whole story. It’s doubtful that “Comedy Hour” Kenneth Boudreaux will intervene to help us clear things up. Hope springs eternal, though.

Brentwood Subdivision

The South has traditionally been more patriotic than many other parts of the country. More people from the South enter military service per capita than any other section. So, it makes sense that we would find a subdivision in the single most conservative city in the entire United States, displaying the symbol of our country. But no one expected over 100 American flags adorning Brentwood subdivision to be removed. Well, almost no one.

Jeff Budden, a resident of Brentwood subdivision, is credited with being the driving force behind putting up the flags. Budden did it at his own cost and without seeking notoriety for his contribution. He even received permission from an LCG employee before mounting flags, although it is now claimed that the individual didn’t have the authority to grant such permission. Then again, arguably, no one does. We will cover that in a minute.

Bill Miller lovingly became nicknamed “the Flag Man” in Youngsville when his own effort to demonstrate patriotism at his home took hold. Miller then found himself installing hundreds of flags in the Sugar Mill Pond neighborhood. Budden’s and Miller’s efforts aren’t much different, but their outcomes certainly diverge. Why?

Support for the American flag.

Budden seemed to have just as much support for his efforts as Miller. According to the Clerk of the Council for Lafayette City-Parish Government, 414 calls came over three hours showing support for Budden’s efforts, while only 11 calls opposing the measure were received. In comparison, Miller received numerous calls from neighbors asking him to install flags for them. The difference between the two is public property vs. private property.

Of those 11 calls, seven are reportedly from Liz Hebert‘s district. However, the determination cannot be accurately made, considering that LCG’s legal team has heavily redacted the call log kept by Council staff. It’s funny that only a few years ago, the very same Clerk of the Council didn’t redact any names from the petition opposing Drag Queen Story Time. LCG released all 1,617 pages to Pride activists, fully unredacted and for free. Why does the Clerk of the Council display such a glaring double standard?

It’s Against the Law!?

While Miller installed American flags on private property with the permission of the property owners, Budden’s efforts focused on placing flags on public property. LCG Attorney Pat Ottinger states this is against the law, even though Budden had received prior permission. 

Section 72-60 of the LCG Code of the Ordinances provides:

Except as otherwise provided by law or as provided in subsection (b) herein, no one shall be permitted to post or affix, in any manner, on the property of city-parish consolidated government, any signs, banners, posters or other types of display, including, but not limited to, those that are commercial, political and/or cause-related, that advocate a particular candidate, that support or oppose a certain cause, position or otherwise are of a political nature or which can be construed to be that of a political nature.

Subsection (a) of this section is not intended to prohibit signs, banners, posters, flyers, pamphlets, notices or other material that are of a public or civic nature and that are not purely commercial, political or cause-related, from being posted on a bulletin board or other designated area located on the property of the city-parish consolidated government.

Whoever fails to comply with the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and any prohibited signs, banners, posters or other types of display are subject to immediate removal and disposal by the city-parish consolidated government.

Only certain flags are being targeted!

The fact is that these American flags, paid for and hung up through the efforts of private residents and using private funds, are the ones being targeted. Others aren’t! The situation began to boil over when “Thin Blue Line” flags showed the community’s support for law enforcement personnel. That is exactly the kind of support we would like to see following a tragic event such as the untimely death of Lafayette Police Department Senior Corporal Segus Jolivette. Once again, the tyranny of a minority doesn’t feel the same way.

Undisclosed individuals who made contact with LCG over the flag displays specifically refer to the “Thin Blue Line” flag as a “reactionary symbol in opposition to the racial justice movement.” Individuals on both sides argued whether other flags could and should be allowed, such as the LGBTQ / Gay Pride flags, Black Lives Matter flags, or Palestinian flags. The fact is, we really don’t have to speculate about this question. We already have a prime example.

Another glaring double standard.

A perfect example of LCG’s double standard is the Pride flag display lining Jefferson Street, which we have been forced to endure over the past several years. As early as 2023, former Downtown Development Authority Director Anita Begnaud (now decamped to liberal Virginia) initiated a movement to affix Gay Pride banners to the public utility polls owned by LCG. Many may not know that former Mayor-President Josh Guillory assisted her in the endeavor.

It was Guillory who authorized Lafayette’s gratuitous donation of taxpayer money to Downtown Lafayette Unlimited (the left arm of DDA) through a Sponsorship Agreement. According to that agreement, LCG provided $7,500.00 in cash to DLU and a $3,107.80 in-kind contribution as “labor for light pole installation and removal in June of 2023” [services rendered in June for Pride activities]. That donation did not happen in 2024.

But the Pride flags returned anyway.

Despite no donation or agreement, the Pride flags did return along Jefferson Street. This time, it wasn’t done by LCG or LUS as had happened previously under the Guillory administration. In a July 3, 2024, e-mail to LUS employee Michael Soileau, current DDA Director Kevin Blanchard states:

“LUS Fiber has a sponsorship agreement with Festival to put up Festival International banners on the down on street lights in the Spring. When they put the Festival banners up, they take the evergreen banners down; when they take the Festival banner down, they put up other stuff. But I am not sure that these are LUS Fiber trucks or LUS trucks (or if there’s a difference).

LUS was not able to put up the Pride month banners this year when they took down the Festival banners and put up the other evergreen banners. We (the DLU) contracted our own scissor lift to get the Pride banners up ourselves, we will likely have to contract our own scissor lift to get the banners down.”

Neither the DDA nor the DLU received explicit permission from LCG to erect the Pride flags along Jefferson Street. According to Kevin Blanchard:

“I had verbal conversations with the Mayor-President’s Communication staff back in March to let them know that we knew that there had been some push-back during the 2023 about Pride banners. I reminded them that Pride Festival is a big traffic-driver for downtown businesses – Pride Festival has grown into one of our largest festivals – and that from the downtown business community’s perspective there was a general expectation that the banners would go up again for Pride Festival in 2024. And those folks are my “bosses.” Until we got that email at the end of May from LUS, we did not know that there would be an issue in 2024. So we had to scramble and get them up.”

Blanchard continued:

“No one told us to not put the banners up. When we let folks know that we intended on getting them up in June and no one said “no.” No one asked us to stand down at any point.”

Aren’t they in violation of the law as well? Absolutely. Why was no official action taken to remove those illegally placed banners from public property? Who knows, but Blanchard’s position appears that he doesn’t have to abide by the law. He (DDA/DLU) can break the law as long as we tell them ‘we intend to break the law and no one objects.’

Additionally, DLU, a non-profit organization (although supported mainly by taxpayer dollars and resources), contracted with another private organization to erect the Pride flags on Jefferson Street. DLU engaged in the exact same behavior as Budden (although Budden did ask for and receive permission). However, while LCG enthusiastically removed the American flags it claimed were illegal, it couldn’t be bothered to remove DLU’s equally illegally placed Pride flags.

Watch out for 2025!

Interestingly enough, the same City Attorney (Pat Ottinger) who declared that the display of American flags on Brentwood Boulevard was illegal is already in communication with Kevin Blanchard at DDA regarding the placement of Pride Flags in the 200 and 300 blocks of Jefferson Street, the week of May 19, 2025, and remaining until July 24, 2025. This is all part of a $5,500.00 in-kind contribution from LUS Fiber to Downtown Lafayette. Who exactly is authorizing that?

Read that ordinance again carefully: “No one shall be permitted to post or affix… on the property of city-parish consolidated government, any signs, banners, posters or other types of display.” No exception is carved out for LUS, LUS Fiber, DDA, DLU… it says “no one.” But of course, the government always holds itself to a separate standard. We know this.

Who instigated the Brentwood flag removal?

Thanks to the Clerk of the Council’s ridiculous redactions, we can’t say for certain who is behind the Brentwood American flag removal. However, we know of at least one outspoken resident who was dissatisfied with the flag display. Interestingly enough, that person previously sat on the Board of the very same Downtown Lafayette Unlimited that placed Pride banners downtown. Her name is Brandy Cavitt. In September of 2024, Cavitt posted:

“I’m taking back a gay slur today. I think I’m gonna start calling people who circle jerk to confederate flags and space force flags and all the flags that dude is being allowed to put up in the neutral ground of Brentwood Boulevard “flaggots.” Carla caught him hanging flags early last week and I said, “you should have yelled flaming flaggot at him.”

Then, on December 16, 2024, Cavitt posted:

“The flaming flaggots are at it again. I must be the .01 percent. People just be making up their own statistics now. It’s not about the flags, it’s about the law. If you let them get away with this, trust me, it’s the confederate flag next. On public property. You know what kinds of hell would be raised if we went to put up a bunch of gay flags all silly all over Brentwood/ Rule. Are. Rules. For everyone.”

Exactly Brandy! Why should we be displaying Gay Pride flags along Jefferson Street? “On Public Property”… and to top it off, PAID FOR WITH TAXPAYER MONEY!!! If you want to apply the rules, they should be applied equally. Not just to the people you consider deplorable “flaggots.”

Liz Hebert is not going to fix this.

Also, don’t be fooled by the cheap talk of Liz Hebert at the December 17, 2024 council meeting. Hebert, who represents the Brentwood neighborhood, supposedly intends to “fix” the problem. It may come to the surprise of some, but not for many. Hebert and Cavitt are close personal friends. So, when Hebert says she will “fix” the situation, how will it turn out?

This is an issue as old as the government itself. What type of speech (or expression) can be restricted on public property? It is not and has never been an “all or none situation.” These issues generally occur more frequently on public property. Perhaps Hebert should consider a “carve out” to the ordinance. She could allow neighborhoods or smaller community segments to make their own display determinations.

While an overreaching Home-Owners Association is just as bad as a local government entity, there is a huge benefit to decentralizing power—the ability for people to have a say and a decision in things that directly impact them. We could certainly start by allowing the American flag display to continue. After all, if the American flag is not worthy of display on public property, I don’t know of any other symbol that would be.

The other alternative is the removal of all symbols from public property. No flags, no Ten Commandments, no Confederate Monuments, no Rosa Park statues, no more naming streets and buildings in honor of people. If we ever reach that point, we will lose connection with who we are as a community.

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