Camping World recently encountered some pushback after displaying a massive American flag on its property in California. Earlier in the year, California officials told the RV company to take the Stars and Stripes down.
Camping World displayed a similar-sized flag at 250 other locations, and it said it never encountered pushback from officials in those locations. Likewise, the RV company displayed the flag at its location on Interstate 5 outside Stockton. However, in April, San Joaquin County Community Development officials brought the hammer down.
According to Fox40, officials cited both safety reasons and a lack of a permit. They insisted that it had nothing to do with the flag itself but potential safety issues. Officials pointed to the flagpole's foundation, citing a potential for disaster if it ever fell over. The location is close to the highway.
However, this hypothetical situation is unlikely to garner much support from Campin World. In fact, CEO Marcus Lemonis learned about the ongoing conflict. He ordered the location to defiantly display the flag while it waited for the county to review its permit. Lemonis said that he wouldn't lower the American flag. He might consider it if it was a marketing flag, but he wouldn't do it for the American flag.
Camping World Displays American Flag
"It's symbolism about how we feel about this country. We have a lot of veterans who work for us, and a lot of veterans who shop with us," Lemonis said. He said he was proud to fly the Stars and Stripes. It's important to him as an immigrant to this country.
"I happen to be an immigrant," he said. "I was given the blessing of being able to enter this country and become a citizen, and I'm grateful for it. It's been part of my life since I was a little child down in Miami, Florida, where we had the largest flagpole in Miami at our car dealership."
The California location appears to be the exception. Camping World owns more than 250 dealerships, and all of the locations have flown the American flag without issue.
"Camping World's flagpole was installed with neither a building permit nor planning approval, therefore they are in conversation with the code enforcement division," the county told Fox 40 in a statement.
