Key Peninsula rallies around construction flagger whose friendly waves cost him his job.

For the past six months, Key Peninsula residents who passed through bridge construction over Minter Creek and State Route 302 were greeted with a wide smile and a wave from a friendly flagger, Ricky Brooks.

Brooks became something of a folk hero on the Key Peninsula, growing a huge following on social media, including a Facebook page called “KP Friendly Flagger Fans,” followed by 634 people.

“People who drove by would have a huge smile on their face,” Brooks said. “That always made my day because I hoped I could make their day better.”

But Brooks was let go by the contractor on June 26. He was told his too-friendly waving was a distraction to drivers and an accident hazard.

“All the positive feedback bred jealousy,” Brooks told his fans on Facebook. “I was put under a microscope looking for any reason they could rid of me. There have been no accidents or any negative repercussions of my waving, but the ‘Danger’ of the issue was why I was let go.”

The community surrounding Brooks rallied around him quickly, and through a GoFundMe page raised $2,002 to help Brooks out while he is unemployed.

“That was ridiculous, oh my God,” Brooks said. “That was a ridiculous surprise. I absolutely can’t believe hearts are so big and open. It’s the type of love you always hope for but never expect. It absolutely through me for a loop.”

Beginning the job

Brooks, 26, was born and raised in Lacey, where he currently resides. In January, Brooks began working as a flagger apprentice in Labors’ Union Local 252.

He was assigned to Minter Creek, where contractors working for the state are replacing aging culverts that restrict the passage of salmon. The project has been a long one, and the work has often required flaggers to direct one-way traffic, or stop traffic entirely to allow road machinery to pass.

Brooks said that during his time as a flagger, he always aimed to brighten up people’s days. Whether it be a friendly wave, a peace sign, or a hang loose, Brooks aimed to create positive energy for all who drove by his station.

“If I could see them, I would try to return whatever energy they were giving,” Brooks said.

After two months on the job, Brooks began getting bombarded with messages from Key Peninsula residents.

“I had people driving by telling me ‘you’re famous on our page’ but I didn’t see the page itself until March,” Brooks said. “It was definitely unbelievable, to say the least.”

Brooks said his trouble began when the supervisor who had trained him was transferred to another job site.

“My new boss instantly went to not liking me before she got a chance to know me,” Brooks said. “She never told me it was the admiration, but it was a complaint every time someone would wave to me.”

Let go from the job

Brooks said he always aims to reciprocate the hand signs people send him, and at one point a person who drove by gave Brooks a backwards peace sign.

“I gave them the peace sign back and my boss comes and tells me that throwing up the peace sign backwards is the same thing as giving someone a middle finger which is a fireable offense, and she didn’t want to see it again,” Brooks said. “This was the first time I’ve ever heard that in my life.”

Later on, there was an accident a few miles from Brooks’ station that injured a pair of flaggers. From that moment on, Brooks’ boss wanted to hammer down on safety, and she told Brooks he was not allowed to wave anymore.

“When it comes down to the good energy the community started charging with, I didn’t want to turn around and snatch that away,” Brooks said. “She told me I will get fired if I continue to wave, but at that time it was one of those grown man decisions I had to make. At that point in time it was not a company I wanted to work for, every day saying they would get rid of me.”

Brooks said he continued to wave with a smile on his face, but he began an internal fight to stay positive.

“The community absolutely helped me,” he said. “I hear that I kept a smile on their face, but they don’t even understand what they’ve done to me. I was hoping I could make their day better as they came through, but they turned around and brightened my day and lifted me up.”

On June 26 Brooks was let go from his position.

“The last day I was waving was essentially a goodbye,” he said.

The contractor on the construction project, Granite Construction of Watsonville, Calif., said flaggers are hired and supervised by a subcontractor, BC Traffic of Orange, Calif., which maintains a regional office in Port Orchard. BC Traffic did not reply to requests for comment, nor did the laborer’s union local.

Community backing and moving forward

Brooks said the response was the community was nothing short from an act of God.

“I need to give all this to God,” he said “When it comes to opening these guy’s heart it’s all down to God. I wasn’t doing anything ridiculously great, I just had good intentions, and God let it be accepted and not overlooked.”

Besides the Go Fund Me donations, Key Peninsula residents showered Brooks with hundreds of kind messages.

“When it came to the Go Fund Me, to be honest I truly needed that,” he said “It was absolutely right on time and shook me for a second, like dang, these guys care about me that much. It was something I didn’t ask for but was more than ready to be delivered.”

Moving forward, Brooks said he wants to start his own clothing line. Meanwhile, he is touched and heartened by his support from the Key Peninsula community.

“A lot of time in life we share kindness, but we don’t get to see or hear how it affected somebody,” he said. “In my special scenario I got the chance to see how a little bit of kindness affected a large amount of people.”

This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 12:00 AM.