A Marine Corps veteran and his wife are fighting their Texas homeowners association after the group refused to allow them to fly their American and Marine Corps flags outside their home.
Cpl. Michael Pereira, who served three tours in Iraq from 2002 to 2009, moved into a Kingdom Heights subdivision in Rosenberg, Texas, about two months ago with his wife.
After moving in, they proudly displayed the two flags in the driveway of their home.
“They represent this county. They represent a brotherhood I was a part of,” Pereira told KPRC. “[They] show respect for all the people I went to war with and the ones that didn’t come back.”
Pereira said he would raise the flags every morning and would lower them every night. He never expected it would be a problem with the homeowners association.
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Until now.
“I’m guessing somebody didn’t like it or someone reported it or something, because I got a call from the property manager who works for the homeowners association asking me to take them down,” he said.
Pereira has asked the property management liaison for an exemption to any association rules regarding flags. He was told to fill out a construction modification request.
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Pereira is still waiting to hear back from the HOA, but said he would not hesitate to fight to fly the flags outside his home.
“If they’re going to take them down, it’s going to be a fight to take them down, and no one fights harder than a veteran combat Marine,” Pereira said. “If they don’t get those rules changed, I’m going to start a petition to get the rules changed.”
Terry Sears, an attorney representing Kingdom Heights, told Fox News in a statement that the property manager’s issue was not with the flags, but with the flagpoles.
“No one fights harder than a veteran combat Marine,” Pereira said. “If they don’t get those rules changed, I’m going to start a petition to get the rules changed.”
“In this particular case [Pereira] installed two 20 [foot-long] flagpoles on both sides of his driveway (one on each side) without first submitting the plans or seeking approval,” Sears said. “The problem is that one of the poles is in a utility easement, both poles are within the 25 [feet] building setback line, and the restrictions (and Texas Property Code) only allow for the installation of one flagpole.”
Sears added, “We have already reached out to the veteran to let him know that the issue is not the flags and are awaiting a response. We are certainly willing to continue to work with this veteran in relocating one of his poles and would be [remiss] if we did not take this opportunity to thank him for his personal sacrifice and service to our country.”
This Fox News piece is used by permission.
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