Letting your patriotic side fly with three American flags might sound like a harmless act, but one elderly woman is facing eviction from her apartment for violating the rules of the New Jersey housing project she lives in for just such a display. Those rules say nothing can be on the balconies of the apartments.

Dawn, 75, tells CBS Philadelphia,”I feel I have a constitutional right to fly a flag.” She put up three small flags in honor of Memorial Day, adding that she has known many people who have served the U.S.

“I think the veterans, they fought for us and this is why we have our freedom. My ex-husband was in service, brothers, nephews, cousins — to me this is a big thing,”

Soon after the flags were flown, she received an order from the Phillipsburg Housing Authority, telling her to remove the flags immediately because they were in violation of her lease. If she didn’t, she’d be evicted.

The director of the town’s housing authority says he’s just doing his job, but even he doesn’t relish the idea of evicting Dawn.

“I don’t want to be that guy. I don’t want my legacy to be I kicked anyone out over a flag,” he said, adding that the flags are a safety hazard.

“We’re not anti-American. It’s just a lease provision that says nothing can be on the balconies.”

Dawn is willing to face eviction over the flags, and says people in her building support her. So far, she’s refused to allow building maintenance to take the flags down. Once the eviction notice is served, she’ll have 30 days to take down the flags before facing a judge.

New Jersey Woman Faces Eviction For Displaying American Flags On Balcony [CBS Philadelphia]

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