I have just returned from my lunchtime stroll, where I saw an African-American man–dressed in a black Santa suit (so it appeared)–on a ladder leaning against the flagpole which had previously held the notable banner.
He had climbed it the ladder, torched the flag, and was calling to the crowd rapidly assembling–which included a number of state troopers–“Call the po-leece. I’ve done my job.”
This is not the first time the flag has been removed. A few years ago, while it was still flying above the State House, one of the guys involved with the renovations took it down.
Since then, one chap who walks around the grounds protesting the flag goes by the name of “The Reverend E. Slave.” He wears chains, and carries a sign stating, among other things, that donations can be made to his church, the address being listed as a PO Box. And, for only $5 he’ll let you take a picture of him with the flag in the background. I don’t know if this was done by the good Rev, though. It was kinda hard to make out his face with his Santa Claus hat constantly slipping over it.
Is this for real? If so, hallelujah. I am so tired of all the bickering, and the boycott that actually isn’t a boycott, and those who oppose the boycott, and those who oppose them, ad infinitum.
I think Skerri speaks for a lot of us around here. If it offends someone, take it down. Something flying atop the Statehouse should represent everyone in the state, or be removed. I know, of course, that that statement opens a can of worms, and that anyone can be offended by anything, but honestly, this particular issue is just silly, and wasted way too many people’s time. That flag is not currently relevant to anyone here, and it should have been put into a museum a long time ago.
It is an official goverment building, and the flags that fly above it should represent the governments of the people. It should have been taken down from the Statehouse solely on those merits. Having it on Government ground may and does offend a significant portion of the population, and they have the right to protest. The removal of the flag from the Statehouse met the demands of the NAACP as written in their paperwork to the state (I have document on my work computer). I grew up in SC, and I feel better it is down, I am embarrassed at the circumstances surrounding it’s placement in the 60’s. It was racially motivated.