Mailbox Flag Sparks Dispute in Prince William Co.

MANASSAS, Va. (AP) - A couple who draped a plastic American flag over their mailbox in support of family members in Iraq has been ordered to take it down by their neighborhood association, which claims it violates local covenants.

Brian and Debra Murray of Montclair, an unincorporated section of Prince William County, said they put the flag on the mailbox in February when her brother-in-law, a lieutenant colonel in the Marines, shipped out to Iraq.

Murray told the Potomac News she did not know the flag cover was a violation of covenant agreements. She found out several months later when the Montclair Property Owners' Association wrote a letter ordering her to take it down.

The Murrays appealed, explaining that Debra Murray's brother had also been sent overseas and that their daughter, son and son-in-law all are in the military. Brian Murray, too, is a retired Marine Corps major.

The property owners' association denied the appeal, saying allowing the flag to stay could start a precedent that leads to other images adorning mailboxes.

"They can fly a flag, which can be attached to their house without being in violation of the covenance at all," Stephen McConnell, president of the MPOA, said.

The family, though, has not removed the flag, and Brian Murray said he has no plans to take it down until after his wife's brother returns from Iraq.

The consequences for the Murrays could include a legal battle or fines.

"We're not out to make living in Montclair difficult for people," McConnell said of enforcing the convenant provisions. "We're just there to ensure they're in compliance. We hope that there are no hard feelings in this."

Debra Murray said the controversy seems like much ado about nothing.

"Little old me back on a side street and an American flag," she said. "If I had done something pink, psychedelic or something, that would be one thing. But it isn't."

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)