Nashville, Tennessee jewelry store owner sends message after finding toppled American flag

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – “Proud to be an American.”

It’s a message the owners of a Hillsboro Village jewelry store want the community to hear after someone allegedly knocked their American flag onto the roof of their store.

“We have always had a flag. We have our flag up at night, so we fly it all the time,” Peacock Jewelers co-owner Paul Wilson told News 2.

Outside the store you can see devotion expressed in red, white and blue.

“My father and several uncles are and were veterans of the armed forces. I actually have a nephew who is stationed in Okinawa today,” Wilson explained.

Their proud display of patriotism, he said, was not respected over the weekend. It’s a disturbing act that Wilson says was caught on camera.

“We saw this and there was a person that was on the roof that shouldn’t have been and knocked down the flag, which of course I know is a distress signal and something that we we don’t want people to see,” Wilson said. .

Homeowners said this isn’t the first time they’ve had problems with their roof; they faced vandalism and someone even stole the flag once.

“They got there somehow,” Wilson said.

However, the question isn’t really why.

“I think it’s someone who’s trying to stir up trouble. I think they’re just being malicious,” Wilson said.

Even if this act of vandalism does not necessarily cost the owners dearly, it hits them right in the heart.

“Exactly. We are very proud to be Americans. We are proud of our military, our police, our paramedics and all the people who risk their lives for us, and we want to send the right message. We want to send the message of a patriotic people, which we stand for very strongly, and putting the flag upside down, as a symbol of distress, does not send the right message,” Wilson said.

He said he would not let this act dampen their spirit.

“My family has always been patriotic and we always will be.”

Wilson said they have hired a new employee to help with security and are working with their security company and police to prevent further incidents.