Dismissal of Lawsuit Over Pride Flag Ban in Hamtramck, Michigan
A federal lawsuit filed by two former city officials against Hamtramck, Michigan, regarding the city's ban on displaying Pride flags on public property has been dismissed by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The controversy began in July 2023 when Russ Gordon and Cathy Stackpoole, who were commissioners on the Hamtramck Human Relations Commission, placed a Pride flag on a city flagpole at Joseph Campau Avenue. The city manager and police removed the flag the same day. In November 2023, Gordon and Stackpoole sued city officials, including Mayor Amer Ghalib, alleging that they were fired for raising the Pride flag, claiming it violated their freedom of speech. The city council had passed a resolution in June 2023 allowing only five flags to be displayed, excluding the Pride flag, but individuals and businesses could still display it on their own property. The lawsuit argued that the new resolution revoked a previous one that permitted the Pride flag to be flown at the Joseph Campau Avenue flagpole. Following public outcry and numerous residents expressing opposition to the resolution, the lawsuit was dismissed by Judge David Lawson on Sept. 8, 2025, with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. The city, Gordon, and Stackpoole were contacted for comment by CBS News Detroit. Earlier this year, incidents of alleged vandalism involving the removal of Pride flags from residences were investigated by the police, with a suspect, described as a younger male or teen, attempting to take flags from homes. The cases are currently under investigation.