An upside-down American flag isn’t a sight most Americans expect to see over the Fourth of July weekend.
Yet that’s exactly what happened at a Somali Independence Day celebration in St. Cloud on July 3, where an upside-down American flag flew alongside the Somali flag, drawing condemnation online and a blistering rebuke from a city council member who called the display a “disgusting show of disrespect” toward the United States.
Video from the celebration, first posted on the Rocks and Cows of Minnesota Facebook page, quickly spread across social media, where users condemned the inverted American flag and criticized event sponsors, including U.S. Bank.
St. Cloud City Councilmember Scott Brodeen said he went to Lake George Municipal Park after receiving a message from a resident asking whether the city council had approved flying the American flag upside down during the event.
“With so much false information being on social media, I wanted to check it out,” Brodeen said during Monday night’s council meeting.
Brodeen said he arrived at Lake George just before 10 p.m., by which time the flag had been removed from the flagpole, though a police officer at the park confirmed it had been flown upside down earlier in the evening.
“Yeah, unfortunately, it was,” Brodeen recalled the officer saying. “We got a number of calls, a number of complaints, and we fixed it.”
‘A disgusting show of disrespect’
Brodeen directed his criticism at both the event organizers and elected officials who attended the celebration.
“To the event organizers that were behind such a disgusting show of disrespect to a country that has given so much … It’s sickening,” Brodeen said.
He also criticized politicians and candidates who attended the event but did not address the flag display.
“To the politicians and candidates that were down there supporting, didn’t take action, didn’t stand up for our country. Shame on you,” he said.
WATCH: St. Cloud City Council member Scott Brodeen slams the "disgusting show of disrespect" after an American flag flew upside down at a Somali Independence Day event in the city
"It's sickening … To the politicians and candidates that were down there supporting [and] didn't… pic.twitter.com/5fDAOimVqe
— Alpha News (@AlphaNews) July 9, 2026
Brodeen urged residents to consider the incident when deciding whom to support at the ballot box, though he did not identify any specific candidates. However, the banner in the Rocks and Cows video indicated that the event was also sponsored by Democrat Minnesota House candidates Zachary Dorholt and Abdi Daisane, congressional candidate Doug Chapin, and U.S. Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan.
“We deserve better,” he said. “Freedom-loving Americans, ask yourselves if people that support such disrespect towards our country are worthy for your votes.”
He also reflected on the sacrifices of American service members.
“Brave men and women died for that flag, for what it represents,” Brodeen said. “So we can enjoy the way of life that we have today, all the freedoms that we have today. Is it too much to ask for a little respect?”
St. Cloud police chief responds
After being contacted by Alpha News, St. Cloud Police Chief Jeff Oxton said the department received a call about the upside-down flag at 5:29 p.m. on July 3.
An officer who was already en route to work a security detail at the Somali Independence Day event arrived at 5:35 p.m. and “immediately corrected the flag without objection,” Oxton said.
Oxton said the formal program appeared to begin around 6 p.m., when the first speaker took the stage. Promotional materials, however, advertised the event as beginning at 4 p.m.
Oxton said event organizers later told city staff that the flag being flown upside down was “not intentional,” and that the officer worked the remainder of the event “with no further issues.”
The U.S. Flag Code states that the American flag “should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.”
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
