The reason why the American flag is being hung upside down as a sign of ‘distress’ at Yosemite National Park.

The US Flag Code states: “The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always allowed to fall free.”

It also states: ‘the flag should never be displayed with the union down. Except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.’ which has left locals and tourists confused after spotting an upside down flag at Yosemite on February 23.

It was left at the top of the El Capitan summit. According to NBC, it was positioned upside down by a group of employees from the park, intentionally.

Those who hung the flag are using it to display ‘distress’ at the idea of recent job cuts at the Park.

Trump’s administration has already cut 1000 jobs, impacting park employees and forrest workers.

Maintenance mechanic Gavin Carpenter said:  “We’re bringing attention to what’s happening to the parks, which are every American’s properties. It’s super important we take care of them, and we’re losing people here, and it’s not sustainable if we want to keep the parks open.”

Photographer Brittany Colt, who shared the viral image of the flag, said:  “This hit so close to home for me. I witnessed several of my friends lose their jobs overnight while leaving our public lands vulnerable. These people had very valuable jobs, such as Search and Rescue and keeping the restrooms and park clean for visitors. If we lose the public servants, the park experience will get only harder and potentially more dangerous for visitors.”

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