ST. JAMES CITY, FL- A Pine Island man believes his property was vandalized because of a political statement he made outside his home but some neighbors say hanging an American flag upside down is an insult.
     
Kent McMahan says,

"This is not the country that we're supposed to be"

That's the message Kent McMahan says he was trying to convey when he hung the flag upside down.

"I believe our country is in dire distress for a number of reasons, we're spending money we don't have, we're not dealing with a legal population."

Many of his neighbors are veterans and some took McMahan's sign of distress - as a sign of disrespect.

They say
,
"Disrespect to the soldiers who serve and give up their life so he could fly that flag."

"If you don't like the country, you have two choices, vote the people out of get out."

"It's a personal slap in the face to every veteran."

McMahan is a veteran himself. He says he received several angry letters and emails from neighbors as well as a petition for him to leave the community.
One letter signed G.I Joe tells him to move to Iran or Venezuela.
He says somebody expressed their frustration not in words but through vandalism.

"The back of my car was spray painted white, some lawn items were spray painted white."

Now McMahan is hanging a new flag in his yard, one he calls a compromise.

Sarah Pusateri asks,

"Where do you go from here? Are you going to fly the flag upside down again?"

McMahan replies,
"I honestly can't tell you that I won't, it is not my intent."

He says for now this flag will stay.