CLAWSON, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan News Source obtained video of a Clawson City Councilor refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and choosing instead to remain seated.
Clawson City Council Heather Rinkevich explained her reasoning at the March 3 meeting. “Words have meaning to me. I cannot stand in affirmation of those words unless I believe we are fulling living up to them.”
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🚨WATCH: A Michigan lawmaker refuses to stand and keeps her back turned to the American flag during the Pledge of Allegiance.
Clawson City Councilor Heather Rinkevich claimed to the public on Tuesday that her decision not to stand for the pledge is actually rooted in patriotism.… pic.twitter.com/SAJcfyQD6V
— Off The Press (@OffThePress1) March 6, 2026
Clawson voters elected Rinkevich in November 2025. The Oakland County Times interviewed Rinkevich in September 2025. “First and foremost, I believe in Democracy and the voice of the people,” she told the publication. Later she added that she was a “founding member of Clawson Voices, which is a Political Action Committee (PAC) and a grassroots effort here in Clawson.”
Michigan News Source reached out to Rinkevich for additional comment but did not hear back by press time.
