Devoted restaurateur Johnny Brann got caught up in a fight over a memorial service honoring the lives of fallen police officers and military personnel in the heart of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The story began in 2018, when local officials argued that the display went beyond what was allowed in terms of signage.
There have been a lot of discussions about flags and emblems in the US over the years. It seems like a delicate subject.
When the Grand Rapids restaurant owner of Brann’s Steakhouse hit a breaking point in 2018, one such tale attracted a lot of attention. Everything started when the Brann’s Steakhouse building on Leonard Street obtained an excessive amount of signage, which prompted the Grand Rapids Planning Department to file a complaint.
The city then wrote to Johnny Brann, the owner, informing him that the memorial signs and flags honoring slain police officers and military members were against city ordinances. He would have to face fines if he didn’t take down the signs.
Although the city insisted on following the regulations, Brann maintained that his exhibit was a necessary way to show his appreciation and respect for police officers and active military personnel.
“Those flags are staying on the building, they are not coming down. It’s about supporting the military and law enforcement,” says Johnny Brann, owner of Brann’s Steakhouse, told Fox17.
The signs pay tribute to the U.S. Navy’s David Warsen Jr., the Grand Rapids Police Department’s Robert Kozminski, the U.S. Army’s Eric Burri, the Walker Police Department’s Trevor Slot, and the Michigan State Police’s Kevin Marshall.
The signs hold great significance for their family, and the city’s decision to take them down was a severe blow to already struggling families. The names on the signs included David Warsen Jr., a Navy SEAL who passed away in 2012 while serving in Afghanistan.
“If you talk to most people who have lost a child, the No. 1 thing they say is you don’t want their memory forgotten,” Warsen Sr told MLive and added:
“To be able to see the flag when I go by… it just gives me great joy knowing people are thinking about my son and his memory continues to live on.”
Not surprisingly, considering the flags’ symbolic meaning, the discussion got hot very fast. Numerous others, including law enforcement and the families of dead military personnel, showed Johnny a great deal of support.
“We’re behind him 100%. It means a lot to us as police officers to be able to look up and see those flags and remember the fallen,” according to Andy Bingel of the GRPD Police Officer’s Association.
City officials insisted that the Leonard St. restaurant’s display violated zoning laws, stressing that the issue was one of quantity over content.
“We do not regulate content. He has his first amendment right to put whatever he wants on his signs. We regulate the number, size, and placement of signs,” said Suzanne Schulz, Managing Director for Design and Development of the City of Grand Rapids.
City representatives stated that while they wanted to resolve the issue through communication, there were regulations in place that needed to be complied with. The City of Grand Rapids website states that applicants need to pay a $1,349 fee in order to be considered for a sign variance.
Johnny expressed his intentions to apply for a zoning variance, but even if denied, he vowed not to remove the memorial. He said he would pay a fine if he had to.
”The only way this will work out to my satisfaction is if the flags and the names of the fallen heroes remain where they are. They deserve to be where they are, and I’m not going to move them,” Brann said.
It’s interesting that Brann decided to take down a few banners from the exhibit during the continuing argument. Following reports that some community members found the political and objectionable content on the banners, this action was taken.
“There were apparently some people who didn’t like it and out of respect I took it down,” he said, adding, “I’m not taking the flags down.”
A lot of people were now interested in seeing how things would work out. Whatever one’s opinion on the matter, Johnny’s bravery and unwavering attitude were much appreciated. However, in certain situations, the underdog still has to submit to the law.
Thankfully, state representative Jason Wentworth, a veteran of the United States Army, from Clare, saw this small tale and took notice. He then sponsored House Bill 6063 to alter the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act. Wentworth liked to get things done swiftly. He had served as a military police officer for five years, including a deployment in South Korea.
”I wanted to see if this was localized or happening around the state,” Wentworth told MLive in 2019.
Although there are other local governments with comparable restrictions banning flags and signage, I discovered that this wasn’t a common problem. I can understand part of it, but I find it incomprehensible that a flag or banner honoring first responders, police, firefighters, or military heroes slain in the line of duty would be forbidden.
“Businesses should be honored and respected for displaying them, not prohibited.”
Rick Snyder, a former governor, signed a bill into law shortly before the year came to an end that forbids local governments from passing zoning ordinances that regulate signs on or within a building in honor of law enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical personnel, members of the US armed forces, or US veterans who have lost their lives while performing their duties.
After the bill was passed, Jason Wentworth was questioned about whether business owners will be able to take advantage of the new legislation.
“It’s not going to be an issue, because it just isn’t,” he said. “Common sense says it’s not going to happen, and if it does, we’ll address it then. You won’t see changes in the community, but you’ll see those flags remain up. And if others want to do the same, they can,” he replied.
In the end, Johnny Brann never gave the city any fines. Nor did he ever seek an exception to get around the ordinance. Rather, he used the almost $4,200 that his fans had contributed to pay for the legal dispute. Additionally, Johnny said that the whole ordeal had given him more “faith and confidence in our Legislature.”
Brann declared, “This was never about me.”
It concerned the families of the slain warriors. They merely want their boys to be remembered, and I wasn’t going to allow that to occur.
Of course, keeping the flags flying was also a major success for Warsen Sr.
“The big thing is that all of the fallen heroes are being remembered here,” Warsen Sr. said. “It does a lot of good for not just me but for my whole family and friends to honor my son. I appreciate Johnny’s effort, and (lawmakers) got this one right.”