The flag disappeared during protests near Reno City Hall on Saturday when its display case was found to be broken. City officials assumed that the flag had been lost. The flag was flown on the USS Reno cruiser during World War II and was donated to the city in 1946.
Kenzie Margiott, reporter for
CNN affiliate KRNV In Reno, he said he received a package Tuesday from an anonymous sender. Inside, he found the tattered flag, which had
written about the day before.
“I stopped for a second, I looked at everyone around me and I said, boys, the flag,” he said. “The flag I wrote a story about yesterday.”
Tucked inside the flag was a note: “I needed protection. Looters burned the flag. RIP Gorge [sic] Floyd. “
Margiott does not know who sent the flag to him, but he quickly returned it to city officials.
“This is a symbol of the goodness of human beings,” said Reno Deputy Mayor Devon Reese. “This is a symbol of the resilience of our community.”
At least 23 people were arrested during Saturday’s protests in downtown Reno, the
Reno Gazette-Journal reported. Most were accused of resisting an officer or trespassing.
Last weekend, in response to the protests, the Reno Police Department
extended the limit of illegal city assembly, so anyone who meets in public in groups of two or more could be arrested.
The city had issued a mandatory curfew at 5:30 p.m. That was lifted later this week, although the city still discourages groups of 50 or more from coming together.
The USS Reno was a specialized anti-aircraft war cruiser. He joined the Pacific Fleet in 1944 and saw action across multiple operations, earning three battle stars in the process. The ship was
hit by two torpedoes shot from a Japanese submarine on November 3, 1944, during the last confrontation at the Battle of the Leyte Gulf, near the Philippines.
The cruise ship did not sink due to the “seamanship, courage and tireless effort of those who remain on board,” according to the
The History of the US Navy Ship USA. The ship returned to service after repairs, but was decommissioned in November 1946. The Reno was finally sold as scrap metal in 1962.
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