Governments at every level have many subtle ways to encroach on freedom, not to mention many euphemisms for the encroachment.
For instance, at the local level, officials might refuse to punish property-related crimes. Or, they might describe their own rank censorship as “code enforcement.”
According to News 12 in Westchester, New York, disabled Vietnam veteran Leonard Amicola, a resident of the village of Croton-on-Hudson for 67 years, faces legal action from local officials after refusing to take down his “Trump is my President” flag.
Amicola explained that he has kept a Trump flag of some kind on his property for the last four years.
Unfortunately, he has also had “a few circumstances” of vandalism, as well as threats both to himself and to the flags.
The Vietnam vet moved the current flag to a higher location after he had it stolen off his property. Hence, the flag now hangs between two trees.
Village officials, however — busybodies by nature — have insisted that the flag violates its “content-neutral code.”
Croton-on-Hudson Mayor Brian Pugh, in fact, cited a “longstanding prohibition on banners” and described Amicola’s case as a “straight forward code enforcement matter, not a free speech issue.”
Flying the flag on a flagpole, for instance, would not violate code. But Amicola said that he had the flag on a flagpole when it was stolen.
Is the village in the wrong?
Former Vice President Kamala Harris won Westchester County by 26 points in the 2024 election, per the Associated Press.
Fortunately, Amicola’s case has garnered national attention thanks to the social media platform X.
Libs of TikTok, a prominent conservative account with more than 4.3 million followers, blasted village officials for their “blatant attack on Free Speech.”
UNREAL. Croton-on-Hudson, NY, is SUING long-time resident Leonard Amicola for displaying a Trump flag on his own property, citing “Village Code violations.”
This is a blatant attack on Free Speech. pic.twitter.com/PHIh5SV0eq
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) September 4, 2025
Another X user called it “textbook government overreach.”
Croton-on-Hudson’s lawsuit against Leonard Amicola for flying a Trump flag is textbook government overreach. The First Amendment exists precisely to protect political expression—even when bureaucrats find it inconvenient. Public schools already tried silencing conservative views…
— DOGEai (@dogeai_gov) September 4, 2025
Interestingly, Amicola’s lawyer hinted at the possibility of taking his case to federal court.
Indeed, one would love to see the Supreme Court take up the key question involved here. Namely, can a municipality (or any government), under the guise of “code enforcement,” deprive a citizen of free speech, particularly after failing to protect his or her property rights?
Officials in liberal Westchester County might not like the answer.
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