ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- A fireworks vendor in Asheville has been fined $100 a day for flying three American flags, but he says he has no intention of taking them down.

The flags are on top of two tents and a building owned by TNT Fireworks. The tents are set up in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart Supercenter in east Ashville.

Several days ago, the city cited the fireworks company, saying that the flags violate city ordinances prohibiting signs on top of commercial structures. City officials said that flying the American flag as an advertisement to draw attention to the business is prohibited. City planner Shannon Tuch said that the city only wants people to fly the flag respectfully.


City Councilwoman Robin Cape said she doubts the sign ordinance was meant to prevent people from flying the American flag. The ordinance passed in 1997. Cape said she doesn't consider the American flag to be an advertisement.

Asheville resident Larry Bruckner said, "Now if it (the flag) had a big 'TNT fireworks gigantic, buy one get one free,' I could understand it, but it'* the American flag. We're celebrating our independence."

TNT manager said that the business closes on July 5, and the flags will stay up until then.

The man running the stand told News 4 on Monday that he'* been flying the American flags on his tents for the past 10 years and he wants to continue doing so in support of the Fourth of July.

The city gave the stand the option to move the flags elsewhere, but the staff declined.

On Tuesday, News 4 learned that city has halted the accumulation of the fines pending the outcome of the appeal process.

That'* a bunch of bullshit.

Donald Trump is catching hell for something like that himself. He put up the world'* biggest U.*. Flag at one of his oceanside communities, and the locals are all bitching. I can kind of understand their side in that case though. I mean, he could easily put up a smaller flag on a shorter pole, and tey'd leave him alone. Their entire problem is that for communities further inland, it takes up a big chunk of scenery.

This thing with the flags on the fireworks place is crap though. Yes he'* using them as attention getters, but so what?

Wheres the freedom in a free country if you cannot fly the US flag as you wish? This is disgusting.

Yeah I would get pissed to having to look at a huge American Flag every freaking day............











































NOT I love the USA whats wrong with these people?

if you can burn a us flag in this country as a sign of "protest" i dont see why the hell you cant fly it wherever you want, wtf :?

Better than burning the US flag as an attention getter.

In Trump'* case, he'* flouting an existing law governing the height of flagpoles, antennas, and other such structures, and also the sheer size of his flag is affecting others' property values, as it blocks large chunks of the view that people boiught their property for in the first place. I wouldn't mind having a large American flag as part of my view of the ocean, but I would mind having a large American flag BLOCKING my view of the ocean.