Man Who Held American Flag in Garland Returns

ByAVIANNE TAN ABCNews logo
Thursday, May 7, 2015

Joseph Offutt, 21, held a large American flag for over 14 hours outside the Curtis Cullwell Center in Garland, Texas yesterday.

Tonight, he's back with an even bigger flag, about 15-feet long, and he's hoping Americans from "all walks of life" join him to send a message to ISIS and terrorists that the country is still standing strong and not giving in to fear following the failed terror attack at the community center this past Sunday.

"I want to encourage Americans of all religions, races and cultures to join in and raise their American flags in solidarity with me," he told ABC News today. "I would love to see more of us coming together, standing as one."

On Tuesday, one Muslim family stopped by where Offutt was holding up the flag and came to give him a hug, he said.

"It just goes to show religion and race doesn't separate us as Americans," Offutt said. "We're all Americans."

He added that he hopes people will take on the #AmericanFlagChallenge Arizona resident Bryce Wagoner started through a video he uploaded to Facebook.

In the video, Wagoner can be seen standing outside while holding his cat and asking people to display an American flag in their yards and share the photo on social media.

Offut said he's happy to see that a lot of people of different backgrounds are taking up the challenge in his neighborhood, where American and Texas flags can be seen lining residential roads.

And though Offutt said he's trying to show America's pride and patriotism to ISIS, he also said he doesn't believe the "Draw the Prophet" event at the center Sunday was patriotic.

"I believe in our First Amendment right to free speech, and I will protect my amendment with my life," Offutt told ABC News today. "But I do not agree with how this group was using that amendment, knowing they would be offending people's religion."

Depicting the Prophet Muhammad is explicitly banned in Islam and seen as a sign of grave disrespect.

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