In the wake of the violent insurrection by Trump supporters at the U.S. Capitol, which has resulted in six deaths, including two police officers, I figured Las Vegas Boulevard would be lined on both sides with Blue Lives Matter protesters who assembled in honor of the fallen and injured officers.

Turns out I was wrong.

The failed coup also resulted in scores of injuries to those Capitol cops, who were overwhelmed by the seething stampede and used remarkable restraint even as they were being pummeled by poles. We may never know just how much trauma they experienced in those violent hours as the president egged on his conspiracy-fed shock troops.

Given that truth, I was certain all those Trump loyalists who have been waving Blue Lives Matter flags, sometimes called “thin blue line” flags, during their protests would take a few moments to stand and salute the men and women who risked their lives protecting our democracy’s sacred ground. And so my search continued.

Downtown has always been a good location for a protest. City Hall has more than its share of elected officials who just can’t stop talking about how much Blue Lives Matter, usually in the wake of a Black Lives Matter demonstration. With that in mind, I drove by the shimmering palace just to catch a glimpse of a gathering of police-loving citizens. Missed again.

Then it hit me.

Those Blue Lives Matter folks must be holding a candlelight vigil outside Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department headquarters. Surely I’d see a tearful contingent there waving the black-and-white American flag with the blue stripe running through it. Wrong once more.

One place we all saw plenty of Blue Lives Matter flags waving was at the deadly storming of the Capitol on a day police were pummeled and beaten in their courageous attempt to defend life and property from a mob of snarling insurgents with hate in their eyes. In addition to homicide and assault, those proud Americans shouted about hanging Vice President Mike Pence and came within 100 feet of him and his family as they were rushed to safety.

Throughout much of last year, the one place we were guaranteed to see the Blue Lives Matter flags flying was just about anywhere the Black Lives Matter social justice and police reform demonstrators were assembled. It began to look suspiciously like some of those Blue Lives Matter flags were meant to symbolize something other than support for their local sheriff. That is to say, something racist and more about white supremacy than law enforcement solidarity.

The flag purportedly symbolizing support for law enforcement flew next to Confederate flags carried by white supremacists during the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Outside of a white supremacist rally, and the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, you don’t see much of the Confederate flag these days.

Some are arguing it’s being replaced by the Blue Lives Matter flag.

What began in 2014 as an apparently sincere attempt to show support for the police, who obviously perform an important, dangerous and often thankless duty in our country, has continued to morph into something else. It’s more than a little troubling at a time of surging paramilitary activity and racial violence in our country.

The image of police under siege is a strong one. For proof, look no further than the many state legislatures that have passed or seriously considered what’s being called “Blue Lives Matter” laws to protect police at a time that law enforcement is under pressure to make substantive changes to its policies and procedures to combat systemic racism. As one academic asks, “Why should the police be viewed as victims in need of additional protection at precisely the same moment that many have questioned their victimization of Black communities?” It’s hard to call it a coincidence.

The Blue Lives Matter flag and its various meanings were used by President Trump throughout the 2020 campaign to attempt to illustrate that his felony-larded administration was somehow on the side of law-abiding citizens. The Black Lives Matter protests began with demonstrators who had taken to the streets to call for social justice and police reform following the murder on camera of a black man, George Floyd, by a Minneapolis police officer. During those demonstrations, that thin blue line flag went from gesture of cop support to racist dog whistle.

Its politicization hasn’t gone unnoticed at Metro. Back in June, when a Blue Lives Matter demonstration was planned by a pro-Trump super fanboy as a counterprotest to the Black Lives Matter demonstrations, Metro was forced to issue a statement distancing itself after the department’s LVMPD badge was misappropriated and made to appear that it was somehow affiliated with the Blue Lives groupies. The demonstration was canceled.

The thin blue line flags became controversial from Massachusetts to California as critics called out the obvious: They were being used as a symbol of a thinly veiled agenda of racism playing out in a presidential election year.

The hurt and alienation generated meant nothing to Trump, who recognized the power of the symbolism as he preyed on the fears of the voters.

John L. Smith is an author and longtime columnist. He was born in Henderson and his family’s Nevada roots go back to 1881. His stories have appeared in Time, Readers Digest, The Daily Beast, Reuters, Ruralite and Desert Companion, among others. He also offers weekly commentary on Nevada Public Radio station KNPR. His newest book—a biography of iconic Nevada civil rights and political leader, Joe Neal— “Westside Slugger: Joe Neal’s Lifelong Fight for Social Justice” is published by University of Nevada Press and is available at Amazon.com. Contact him at [email protected]. On Twitter: @jlnevadasmith