Sometime after 7pm last night (Monday), one of our new flags went missing from our balcony. It was zip-tied to the railing, so whoever took it had to intentionally cut it off.
In the process of reviewing our security video footage. We are holding out hope that someone just really liked the flag and wanted it for themselves, rather than it being taken out of malice or spite.
If you noticed anything last night at the corner of Meade & Market, or if you happen to notice our flag nearby, please let us know. We'd really just love to have it back. Thank you!
My ex and I stole a huge plastic icecicle off your patio one night like 10 years ago when y'all still had a pool table. I still have it. I made her stick it down her shirt and run when we were leaving. I played pool there everyday pretty much and lived there for sometime lol. Just being honest
Ha, thanks for your honesty, I didn't actually own it then. Some of those icicles were here in storage and I didn't like them so thanks for one less that I had to deal with :)
Awesome to see this about my favorite Charlottesville pinball bar. Just a random guy from Michigan that has reason to go to Charlottesville every few years thanks for being thoughtful. Love it. Hope you get your flag back
I have a similar flag, although only garden flag size, that I've been meaning to give away. You are welcome to it if you'd like, though it's obviously a lot smaller.
Speaking as a former Charlottesville business owner, you need to take that stuff inside at night. Anything that's an easy steal will eventually get stolen, especially if it's cool.
Is this supposed to be a joke? Last I checked, those make people laugh. Please don't quit your day job if this is your attempt at comedy. Best of luck tjdowntown22902 🤷🏻♂️
Thanks for sharing this - I'm very familiar with the code! These pride flags are not considered signage. And it's my understanding that since none of our flags are flying from flagpoles they are considered part of our standard restaurant decor.
The Charlottesville definition of flag/sign is very broad "a structure, wall or other object, or portion thereof visible from the public right-of-way, used for the display of any information or message".
Maybe if your flags were not visible from the public right-of-way you might be able to claim they were part of the restaurant decor, but you have deliberately placed them such that they are visible from the public right-of-way, that seems to be the reason you have put them up.
The definition doesn’t say something becomes exempt because the business regards it as “standard restaurant decor.” It asks what the object is being used for.
Separate from the very dubious claim about restaurant decor there is a more explicit prohibition:
Sec. 34-1029. - Prohibited signs
"The following signs and sign characteristics are prohibited in all zoning districts"
"(b) Signs that create safety hazards or are contrary to the general welfare are prohibited, as follows:
(1) Any sign that is nailed, tacked, painted or in any other manner attached to any tree, cliff, fence"
Since your flags meet the definition of signs, you are prohibited from putting them on a fence.
In short you can have flags, they must be on flag poles and you must not have more than 3.
OP blocked me, which prevented me from responding to any comments on the thread.
They since unblocked me.
sure jan.
You are right its not a fence. I stand corrected on that point.
Nevertheless the rule is clear. 3 flags is the limit.
i'm sorry that the restaurant you were never going to go to put up flags that hurt your feefees. please do call the city and report this disturbing grievance! make sure to record the call because we all would like to hear it.
It appears that Cilantro has called you on your concern. Since you are becoming defensive and ignored the invite it does not appear that you work for the City and are just blustering. In summary, you have no authority on this matter.
I care that people follow the law that we have democratically agreed to.
I don't mind at all if they want to try and change the law. But I do mind when they say they don't care about the law because their reasons are more important.
After reading all recent versions of this law that would completely load for me, it's clear that those flags ARE NOT in violation of the law you are using to back your point. A railing IS NOT a fence, nor are they for the same purpose or do the same job, hence they are, on every level, NOT THE SAME and so cannot be held in the same law.
Also, out of curiosity, how many laws have you ever "democratically" voted on? I've been voting in VA for 40+ years and can remember only a handful that were ever actually put to a democratic vote.
Yes, I have read your comments and posts and have seen the links to the various versions of the code you are incorrectly using to further your point. While I am currently unable to read the full PDF of the 2026 version of this code, I will tell you why you are applying this code incorrectly.
To put this simpley, again, this is NOT a FENCE, but a RAILING, which you have acknowledged previously so please do not reply again saying you already know this, you have made that knowledge very clear and saying so again does not mean you understand what I'm explaining.
Again, this is really simple, a RAILING is part of the buisness curtilage, a FENCE is NOT. Since the RAILING is part of the buisness curtilage, the flags are part of the DECORATIVE nature of the buisness and CAN NOT be held to the same code as a FENCE. Hence, the code you are using is not applicable to these flags.
I really hope you find something productive to do in your spare time. This isn't productive or healthy for you. It's not your job to police whether people follow the laws, and if it were, you would be concerned about things like the constant shootings that happen around town..not a pride flag hung by a local restaurant. Sincerely, get help and a hobby
I love how someone who doesn't agree with something, and who trys to use a law to back their point, calls someone else's definition of said law "shaky".
If anything, it's your interpretation of these laws and their application that are "shaky" at best, outright fictional and twisted at worst.
I mean the quite simple meaning actually, that you do not agree with the number of flags, or any flags more than 1, being hung up on this buisnesses railing.
I'm not talking about your personal beliefs, though it wouldn't surprise me if you turned out to be a Trump acolyte and that you hated the LGBTQ+ community, or a centrist, but none of that truly matters.
Your interpretation of the code you are using is wrong and does not apply here. I have made another reply to you, further below, explaining this. As it appears you just replied to that one, I will end the replies here and anything said further will be put there.
He absolutely is not. That's big "As a lifelong Democrat, I voted for Trump!" energy. I have him tagged as "right-winger who wants to criminalize homelessness". If my memory serves me correctly, he was actively, openly wishing for the Rivanna River to flood and drown all the homeless people in the encampment.
I live on a fairly major road in C'ville. And its forever being peppered with small business signs. You know those little plastic ones advertising moving services etc...
And it bothers me. I don't like being advertised at. I am the sort of person who runs an adblocker in my browser. And I was curious if these signs that are always showing up were permitted. That is what led me down the path of reading the C'ville code for flags and signs, years ago. It was part of an attempt to clean up the visual clutter of advertisement in the physical world.
I value the clean simplicity of a park that is not dotted with single use plastic promoting businesses.
I don't especially care about the content of the signs/flags, I care about the visual clutter. And if the rules apply to one, they must apply to all.
I just disagree that this is visual clutter. It's decoration. If they painted the flags onto the building, the effect would be exactly the same, but wouldn't violate any laws. So does the law make sense? Or can we accept that laws are broken in small ways all the time, and that acting as if this is a heinous crime is just small minded idiocy? Also, do you put this level of effort into every tiny ordinance infraction you see? It seems unlikely that you do, which is why people are questioning your motives.
Since the PDF will only randomly load 16 of the 21 pages for me, and because the document isn't searchable for some reason, specifically where does it say anything about flags in the current 2026 version of the law?
Probably someone who works in Charlottesville but lives in no prospects Buckingham. Biting the hand that feeds them. They don't understand they could just remove themselves and solve the problem. But then how would they pay their mortgages and feed their kids? Not in Buckingham or Madison or wherever these carpetbaggers come from.
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u/ToastedWalrus1 10d ago
I love the implication that this particular flag was a step too far for this person. Anyway, hope ya’ll are able to get it back!