The sight of an Islamic State flag hanging from a fence triggered a “public alarm” and a swift reaction in Pittsfield.

Police seized the homemade flag and are exploring pressing charges against the individual who hung it near downtown on Monday.

By Wednesday – which happened to be Flag Day – as members of the community did their best to display their patriotism, four American flags flew near the same Pittsfield dam where the ISIS flag was found.

Pittsfield native Norman Miner said he rushed down to the dam when he heard about the incident Monday night. The American flag he hung on the dam’s fence belonged to his father, he said, and he’s hoping more people will hang their U.S. flags at the dam, too.

“If you’re going to put something stupid like that up that has that kind of meaning, then we’ll put two back,” he said. “When you see something like that, you have to strike back. It’s too close to home.”

Pittsfield police Chief Jeffrey Cain said the ISIS flag was hung sometime on Monday at the dam on state-owned property, which is also a popular fishing spot.

He said that while he doesn’t think there is an immediate threat to the community, police are taking the matter seriously and discussing possible criminal charges related to hanging a flag of that nature on public property. He said it was unclear at this time what those charges could be.

“It’s a balance of the First Amendment and freedom of speech rights, but you have a lot more leeway with freedom-of-speech when you’re on private property,” he said. “At the very least, it causes public alarm, and we’re very sensitive to that.”

He also said his department is working with state police and has notified the Joint Terrorism Task Force. The individual who is believed to have hung the flag is known to police, Cain said, but he declined to say how police were tipped off to the individual’s identity.

“You want to start off with stuff like this by treating it seriously and working your way down, because you never know,” he said. “Yeah, this is New Hampshire, but you never want to take anything for granted.”

Cain said the idea of holding a gathering at the dam was brought up by a member of the public during a select board meeting Tuesday. He added he had no evidence that the flag was put up in connection to the one-year anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting on Monday, or Wednesday’s Flag Day holiday.

“Personally, I wasn’t happy that the flag was put up, but you have to balance that with people’s freedom-of-speech rights,” Cain said. “At the least, this act was done in extremely poor taste, given the tragedy and loss (ISIS) has caused worldwide, the disrespect to military members past and present, and it doesn’t represent what this community stands for.”

At least one Pittsfield resident said the best way to handle the incident would be to not give it any attention at all. Decked out in U.S.-flag-patterned sunglasses, a hair ribbon and sneakers, Trish Gordon was out on the town for a birthday motorcycle ride Wednesday. Her birthday falls on Flag Day, and she said her attire was meant to bring positive attention to the town and the country.

“It’s a flag, it’s an opinion, and it’s meant to get a rise out of people, but that’s not going to happen here,” she said. “I seriously feel it’s not representing anyone here; we don’t know who put it up or why. … What’s the best reaction to that? Nothing. This is a good town with good people.”

(The Associated Press contributed to this report. Caitlin
Andrews can be reached at 369-3309, candrews@cmonitor.com or on Twitter at @ActualCAndrews.)