LA businessman’s flags for sale, some bearing profanity, create stir across Southern California

Several times successful the past month, Diamond Bar nonmigratory Lauren James has noticed a pro-Donald Trump sidewalk vendor connected Diamond Bar Boulevard selling banners with the words “F Biden” — but with the F-bomb afloat spelled retired — and finds the show troubling.

Another reads “F— your feelings.”

“What upsets maine astir is the sermon it’s trying to ignite,” James said. “This is simply a family-friendly community. We get on great, and the underlying discourse, to me, is symbolizing the events we saw connected Jan. 6 and the events we spot happening astir the state close now. And I don’t consciousness safe.”

The flags are apt disposable to children. Lorbeer Middle School is connected Diamond Bar Boulevard, not acold from 1 of the vendor spots.

The makeshift kiosks are the merchandise of David Brown, a Los Angeles businessman who has been erecting these pop-ups each implicit Southern California passim the past year-plus. Brown, operating nether the umbrella of Brown & Associates, started successful San Diego County and has placed stands successful specified Orange County cities arsenic Brea, Yorba Linda and Mission Viejo.

In a telephone interview, Brown said helium doesn’t hatred anyone, he’s conscionable being a savvy businessman.

On his mode to expanding his concern adjacent further, Brown opened a basal successful San Marino connected Thursday and expects to unfastened different successful Monrovia soon. The San Marino basal — connected San Gabriel Boulevard and Huntington Drive crossed from Trader Joe’s — was not flying expletive-laden flags but did person socks with akin sentiments toward President Joe Biden disposable connected a merchandise table.

Brown’s stands person besides been successful Chino Hills, prompting residents to telephone section instrumentality enforcement, according to the Chino Champion.

Brown, a erstwhile St. Louis lawyer surviving successful Los Angeles, said helium has acceptable up store successful much than 30 cities truthful far.

But the First Amendment gives Brown the state to explicit his opinions, nary substance however colorfully, Diamond Bar adjunct City Manager Ryan McLean said via email.

“The metropolis prides itself connected fostering a family-friendly, inclusive assemblage done the programs it offers, the events it hosts and the laws it passes,” helium wrote. “That said, erstwhile it comes to vendors displaying oregon selling items with governmental expressions, adjacent those that usage violative language, they are mostly protected by the First Amendment.

“The city’s authorization to prohibit oregon modulate immoderate thoroughfare vendor was besides severely restricted by the State Legislature erstwhile it passed Senate Bill 946 successful 2018. The metropolis cannot contradict a vendor a licence to run truthful agelong arsenic the vendor does not airs a wellness oregon information hazard and is different successful compliance with applicable laws.”

James is speedy to constituent retired that Mission Viejo was capable to usage a metropolis ordinance known arsenic the “Blinder Rack Law” erstwhile 1 of Brown’s stands was determination successful January. That instrumentality fundamentally requires the bottommost two-thirds of thing with vulgar connection to beryllium covered erstwhile displayed successful public, specified arsenic mag racks, according to the Orange County Register.

The good for violating that ordinance is $500.

“Mission Viejo was successful,” James said. “I judge our metropolis is hiding down this. … I judge determination is thing they could do, and they’re willfully choosing not to and hiding down the First Amendment.”

Told of the Mission Viejo ordinance, McLean responded, “While the connection being utilized is offensive, the metropolis lawyer has concluded that its usage does not interruption immoderate metropolis oregon authorities laws oregon regulations and that attempts by the authorities to prohibit akin code successful the past person been recovered to interruption the First Amendment mostly without exception,” helium wrote via email.

Brown: ‘I don’t hatred anyone’

Brown, 49, was asked wherefore helium has his contracted employees alert the F— Biden banners astatine his stands. His reply was pragmatic: “It generates sales,” helium said. “I person a business.”

He said helium doesn’t person “any issue” with President Biden. “I’m conscionable a concern person. I don’t hatred anybody.”

As for his ain politics, helium would picture himself arsenic a small close of center.

And for those those complaining astir the vulgarity successful plain show for each to see, “everybody has a close to their ain opinion,” Brown said. “We person the close to merchantability the emblem oregon alert the emblem — and they person a close to complain.”

Brown traded his instrumentality signifier for this life. “I’ve been doing governmental events since I was 20 years old,” helium said. “I’ll beryllium 50 this month, and I’ve done implicit astir apt 1,200 to 1,500 statesmanlike run events each implicit the United States.”

Right now, California is his turf.

“We started successful San Diego County and past Orange County, and present we’re expanding to parts of L.A. County, San Bernardino and Riverside,” Brown said.

Business is good, helium said, Diamond Bar especially.

“We had 55 stands going past year, and we’re expanding to implicit 150 by 2024,” Brown said of his business. “So we’re continually expanding. And arsenic we get permits and prosecute people, we’re progressing astir apt similar possibly five, 10 radical each month.”

Independent contractors tally the stands

Troublemaking

These stands tin pull conflict. In July 2020, a paper communicative written astir a Brown-owned basal successful Encinitas depicted tussles betwixt Trump supporters and non-supporters. The contractor moving the basal said helium had each sorts of cuss words shouted astatine him from  passersby.

Residents successful Chino Hills were upset erstwhile 1 of Brown’s stands with banners containing vulgar connection was determination this past June, with 1 calling it “obscene trash,” according to the Chino Champion.

She was hardly alone. Jeff Spencer, who works for the metropolis of Yorba Linda, confirmed galore residents successful his metropolis were up successful arms implicit the aforesaid thing.

“You know, it’s a household town, truthful astir radical conscionable recovered it disagreeable that that was flying truthful prominently portion they’re driving their kids to religion and schoolhouse and stuff,” Spencer said.

The Diamond Bar pop-ups did not elicit immoderate reports of violence, metropolis spokeswoman Cecilia Arellano said.

Brown does interest astir the information of his contractors moving his stands, helium acknowledged.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s ever a concern,” helium said. But this is business, and he’ll support it going, helium said.

“We bash anti-Biden, pro-Trump, Second Amendment, pro-police, don’t-tread-on-me benignant of merchandise,” Brown said. “It’s a small variety. Last year, it was chiefly each conscionable pro-Trump. Now we had to diversify a small bit.”