A North Texas man is fighting his homeowners association over his ability to show support for police officers with a "Back the Blue" flag outside his house.
On Wednesday evening, a flag with black and white stars and stripes and a blue line down the middle flapped over the garage at Rodney Ivester's home.
"It's just simply support," Ivester explained. "I'm not trying to be a rebel or a trouble maker."
Ivester said he bought the flag and put it up about three weeks ago.
"It was right after the shootings of the Dallas police officers," Ivester said. "I'm on their side and I have their back."
But this week Ivester got a letter from the Oakmont Country Clue Estates Property Owners Association telling him to take down the flag.
"That it was 'noxious and offensive' and it was an altered U.S. flag," Ivester said. "And that it needed to be removed immediately."
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"It's a shame with society that we can't come together with the differences and the problems we have," Ivester added. "If we could somehow solve those issues and get beyond color, whatever is going on, it would be a better place."
Ivester said he has no plans to take down the flag.
"I don't blame him," said Bill Pennington. "And I don't want anybody else to take down their signs either."
Pennington and his wife, Celia, were so bothered by the note their homeowners association sent clarifying what flags can fly, they drove through the neighborhood counting all of the "illegal" flags.
"I can tell you how many," Celia Pennington said, laughing. "There was a Barney dinosaur."
Her husband joked, "It's gotta go! You're in violation, guys."
The Penningtons said they plan to violate the association rules, too.
"I want to know where he got it," Bill Pennington asked about the flag in question. "I'd really like to know 'cause I'd like to put one out."
NBC 5 reached out to the Oakmont Country Club Estates Property Owners Association for a comment and got an email that read, in part, "The Association supports our public safety officers and has the utmost respect for the service they provide the community. However the altercation or modification of a flag from its official design has the potential to provide different meanings to each person. The Association only allows American Flags, Texas Flags, and U.S. Military Flags in their original design."
On Wednesday evening Ivester's neighbor across the street was putting up her own new "Back the Blue" flag in a show of solidarity to her neighbor.
"This was for you," she shouted across the street.
"Thanks," Ivester replied with a laugh.
