"Inverted American Flag in Yosemite Sparks Outcry Over Controversial Protest Motive"
Upside-Down Flag Flies Over Yosemite in Protest of Federal Job Cuts
Visitors to Yosemite National Park were met with an unusual sight this month: an upside-down American flag draped over the 7,500-foot El Capitan rockface. The act, recognized as a national distress signal, was a protest by park workers against recent federal job cuts under the Trump Administration.
Gavin Carpenter, a Yosemite maintenance mechanic, claimed responsibility, telling the San Francisco Chronicle the inverted flag highlighted layoffs impacting the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service. In February, approximately 3,000 jobs were eliminated, including 2,000 from the Forest Service and 1,000 from the Park Service. Many roles—like Yosemite’s only locksmith, an EMT ranger at Devils Postpile National Monument, and a Denali National Park sled dog musher—left critical gaps in safety and operations.
“We’re bringing attention to what’s happening to the parks, which are every American’s properties,” Carpenter said. “It’s not sustainable if we want to keep them open.”
[Image: Upside-down flag on El Capitan, captured by photographer Brittany Colt.]
Flying the flag inverted is protected free speech under the First Amendment, though it’s traditionally reserved for dire emergencies like natural disasters. Recent years, however, have seen its use expand to political protests. Photographer Brittany Colt, who shared a viral image of the flag on Instagram, lamented the loss of roles like search-and-rescue teams and maintenance staff. “If we lose these workers, the parks become more dangerous,” she said.
[Image: Protesters gather at Yosemite, holding signs against federal cuts.]
Criticism also targeted the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by SpaceX’s Elon Musk, which has overseen broader federal workforce reductions. Over 77,000 employees accepted buyouts, while remote workers faced return-to-office mandates. “Nobody is gonna work from home,” Trump stated, claiming remote staff were unproductive.
Former EMT ranger Alex Wild emphasized the human cost: “I’m the only one to rescue someone, do CPR… losing these roles risks lives.”
Amid backlash, the administration reversed some cuts, rehiring 50 Park Service employees and pledging to add 7,700 seasonal workers. Yet the protest underscores ongoing tensions between conservation needs and cost-cutting policies. For now, the inverted flag serves as a stark reminder of the fight to preserve America’s public lands.
[Image: Laid-off workers rally at Yosemite, demanding reinstatement.]
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