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Activists Hang Pride Flag On Undisputed Federal Land After National Park Service Disowns Stonewall Flagpole

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- After the Trump administration suddenly pulled out of a ceremony to raise the first Pride flag on federal land, activists decided to take matters into their own hands.

Last week, the National Park Service disowned the flagpole at the Stonewall National Monument, claiming it was city property even though it had been willingly maintaining it and flying its own flag there for a year.

Though the map of the Stonewall National Monument mysteriously vanished for a time from the Park Service website, activist Michael Petrelis said "we learned that definitely inside the park is federal property."

Petrelis zip tied a second Pride flag on undisputed federal land in the middle of the monument on Tuesday.

"This is a temporary installation until we hopefully get a permanent small display of the rainbow flag," he said. "We gays will not be happy until we have a rainbow flag permanently on display inside the Stonewall National Monument. "

Joshua Laird, the National Parks Commissioner for New York, who sources say was on board with original ceremony, told WCBS 880 that while the agency doesn't encourage people to do such things, there is no plan to immediately remove the flag.

"I wouldn't consider a flag on a makeshift pole ziptied to the fence an attempt to do something permanent," Laird said. "If it's not damaging the park, we would rather talk to them than move in and unilaterally remove it."

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