After 1,000 National Park Service employees were abruptly fired Feb. 14, staff have banded together to signal “dire distress” by hanging the American flag upside down off Yosemite’s El Capitan. The iconic monolith is famous for its “firefall,” a phenomenon that transpires with the sunset illuminates the waterfall beneath the cliff face. As dozens of onlookers gathered Monday to admire the view, they were met with a far different sight: an upside-down flag draped from the 3,000-foot summit. The protestors were park employees aiming to expose the Trump Administration’s sweeping federal cuts. About 3,000 U.S. Forest Service workers were also terminated, and both parties say that the country-wide slashes will lead to chaos at the parks—dirty bathrooms, longer lines, and a lack of people to patrol the wilderness and keep visitors safe. This includes search and rescue, a team committed to extracting hikers and campers from emergency situation. Brittany Colt, the photographer who initially captured the scene, took to her Instagram to further spotlight the demonstration: “This is a cry for help,” she said, adding that the flag is traditionally hung this way when Americans are “under attack” and it’s time to defend the nation. Colt added that the loss of these public servants won’t just make the park experience harder, but also “potentially more dangerous.” Following the backlash, the Trump administration claimed that it would restore 50 jobs to maintain the parks and hire 3,000 seasonal workers. The Daily Beast has reached out to the Trump administration for comment.
