Let’s Put to Rest the Issue of Mayor Armacost’s Thin Blue Line Pin

by | Apr 25, 2021 | Commentary

Once again in the Sequim City Council Meeting, Mayor Armacost’s pin became of point of contention, with Nicole Hartman (Clark) of Sequim stating during the public comment section of the April 12, 2021 Sequim City Council Meeting:

“Uhm, I also wanted to point out that I have an email exchange with Mayor Armacost about his punisher pin. And I approached it with all the grace I could muster to say, you know I really want to make you aware of what this symbol means today and that the uhm actual original cartoonist, you know, and the artist that created the logo is trying to take it back, and Marvel’s trying to take it back, and Disney is looking at ousting it. Because it has been changed, the symbol means something completely different, and I graciously extended him that education to say this is now what it means to people of color and for a variety of reasons. And respectfully requested he stop wearing it as a token of respect for all people. And he said he represents all citizens. And I would like to request that he stop using that response to every request that is made of him. Because if he really represented all citizens, he would stop wearing the punisher pin, a pin of which he denied was the punisher pin. And he referenced where he bought it and when I looked it up on that website that he gave, it is listed as the punisher pin.”

Mayor Armacost’s response:

“The other reference that I’d like to comment about, if you go to pinmart.com, and again, people continue to listen with what they want to hear, the pin I wear is in support of law enforcement. If you go to the search bar, request law enforcement, you will first see a cross that is indicative of supporting law enforcement, then you’ll have a flag, and the third item is not a punisher pin, but is a Thin Blue Line Skull. Totally different connotation. I refuse to not support the law enforcement in our nation.

“We have had horrific events, but they put their lives on the line every single day. For every single one of us. And that respect is something we owe them to honor.

“If you see a law enforcement officer, in a restaurant, or in a public venue, I encourage you to thank them and buy them a cup of coffee or a meal.”

Now, to put the matter to rest:

Here is an image of the Mayor during the April 12th, 2021 meeting. You can see the Thin Blue Line pin on his right lapel and the American Flag on his left lapel. (Of course when viewing it from our side, it would be a Thin Blue Line pin on our left and the American flag on our right.)

 

We followed Mayor Armacost’s link instructions to find the pin. Not only do we see that it is INDEED a Thin Blue Line Pin, but the description under the pin states, “Show Your Support for Our Street Protectors with the Thin Blue Line Pin.”

Even Amazon sells the pin as a Thin Blue Line Police Pin, and they sell the Marvel pin as a separate entity. So, these are two different pins, with two different meanings.