Our condo was in a 24-story building, and after 9/11 quite a few folks were trying to figure out how to fly a "flag on a stick" at half mast in the hallways -- the kind of flag you'd have at a 4th of July parade, or stick in the ground outside your house. According to a US government flag website, the proper way to display a flag that can't be raised and lowered or flown parallel to the ground is to tie a black ribbon around the top as a sign of mourning. I can't find the website, so somebody please correct me if the rules have changed.

That is correct:

•For flags that can't be lowered, such as those on many homes, the American Legion says that attaching a black ribbon or streamer to the top of the flag is an acceptable alternative. The ribbon should be the same width as a stripe on the flag and the same length as the flag.


http://www.gettysburgflag.com/flyflaghalfmast.php

Z

Correct. American Legion Post 347 on rt 466 collects all tattered and worn flags and burns them during a ceremony on June 14.

I am sure the other AL posts do also.

I usually ask around the area and take them all down before June 14.