A latter-day Sam Adams rallies the Internet 'round his banned American flag

Samuel Adams stood on his balcony in northern Colorado last week with a patriotic swagger so convincing he could have been mistaken for the original revolutionary hero of 1773. Draped before him was a large American flag. On his navy blue T-shirt, a screeching bald eagle flew across a smaller version of the stars and stripes. He'd even hung tinsel.

Sam Adams, of Greeley, Colo., the son and grandson of veterans, wasn't plotting the Boston Tea Party. But in the name of independence, he was taking a stand.

In a video he posted to YouTube, Adams bemoaned the injustice.

To prepare for the Fourth of July, America's birthday, he decorated his apartment balcony with Old Glory. But on June 22, he said he came home to a crisp letter from the management of his Sterling Heights apartment complex in Greeley, Colo., that read: "Dear Samuel, Please be advised that it has come to management's attention that you have an American flag on the balcony/patio area."

Then it reminded him, in a direct quote from the Community Policies agreement he'd signed with his lease, exactly how his patriotic gesture was breaking their rules. Balconies were not to be used for laundry drying, it said, or to store hazardous materials or gasoline. Outdoor furniture is "welcomed," read the letter, but not dead plants, boxes or garbage.

"Balconies and patios must be maintained in a neat, clean and attractive condition," it said.

The letter closed with this: "We appreciate your prompt attention and cooperation in this matter. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact myself or the office. Thank you."

In his video, which Adams cross-posted to Facebook, he dramatically read the entire letter aloud.

"Now this will serve, Sterling Heights, as my contacting you officially," Adams said in the video, waving the letter toward the camera. "Thank you, America. I look forward to your feedback."

A week later, Adams - and America - won.

His act of online defiance spread quickly across the Internet, capturing the attention of veterans and military families from across the country, he told the Greeley Tribune. The video was viewed more than 36,500 times on YouTube and 233,000 times on Facebook. More than 1,300 people shared his message on their own social media accounts.

In a comment on his original post, Adams complained that other residents in the complex had equally untidy balconies, and wondered why he had been singled out. He wrote: "Donald Trump and Shon Hannity where are you!!!"

"I thought this was just going to be a whisper but it has avalanched," Adams told the Tribune.

"I have never done anything like this before," he said. "But it was the right time and it was the right moment. I wanted to be a patriotic American and give tribute to our founding fathers and our veterans, and to have (management) say the flag is inappropriate or comparable to trash is reprehensible to me."

An initial concession came almost immediately. In an email, management from the apartment complex told the Tribune it has nothing against the American flag; in order to keep the residences looking uniform, no flags or decorations are allowed to be displayed on balconies.

Senior Regional Manager Amie Robertshaw added in an email to the newspaper that they would allow Adams and other residents to fly their flags through Independence Day, but then they'd have to come down.

Adams told the Tribune he'd didn't care; even in the face of eviction, he planned to keep displaying Old Glory.

"I'm the kind of guy that when I see a man or woman in a uniform, I go up to them and say, 'Thank you for your service,'" Adams told the newspaper. "I gladly accept the responsibility given to me of standing up for the veterans and families that have reached out to me."

Within days, Adams received another letter.

"In response to the notice you received last week regarding the displaying of an American flag on your balcony, we sincerely apologize for the request to remove it and the reaction this has caused," states the letter, obtained by the Tribune and written by Drake Powell, principal of the property group that oversees Sterling Heights. "The notice was not intended to be un-American, unpatriotic or insensitive to all that our great country stands for."

Then, in response to the outrage sparked by Adam's video, Powell explained the complex's new policy: From now on, residents are able to display not just the American flag, but the Colorado flag, all year long.

Adams told the Tribune he intends to do just that.

And just as he said in his video, Adams thanks America.

"It was because of the voice of the people that things were changed," he told the Tribune. "I was just the channel."

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