VIRGINIA: Pole Flying Large Confederate Flag on I-95 Vandalized
Someone recently vandalized the flagpole that flies the controversial Confederate flag that towers above Interstate 95 on private property in the Falmouth area, authorities said.
Stafford County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Amanda Vicinanzo said Deputy George Motley was called to the property Sunday afternoon and found “take it down” and “racist” spray-painted on the base of the pole.
Someone vandalized the pole that flies this large Confederate flag in the Falmouth area of Stafford County near Interstate 95.
The rope used to hoist the flag was also damaged, Vicinanzo said, and there was an apparent attempt to remove the plaque on the pole that reads, “Virginia.”
The huge flag has been especially controversial of late and a number of speakers at several recent meetings have urged the county Board of Supervisors to take a stand against it. They said it reflects poorly on Stafford to have the flag so prominently displayed.
Suggestions have included things from outlawing the flag altogether to issuing a proclamation denouncing the Confederate flag, which some believe is a symbol of racism and white supremacy. In addition, a lawyer in the county recently filed a complaint to the county zoning department, contending that the flag is an illegal sign that should come down.
The flag was raised in 2014 on private property near the intersection of Interstate 95 and U.S. 17. It can be seen by motorists on the interstate.
County Attorney Charles Shumate has said because the flag is on private property, the county has no legal authority to force the property owners to take it down.
Vicinanzo said the landowner, Hubert Cash, informed Motley that the pole is owned by the Virginia Flaggers and that he agreed to have the flag and pole on his property. There are a number of no-trespassing signs around the pole and property line.
Cash told the deputy that he noticed the damage about 3 p.m. Sunday and had last seen the pole undamaged on Sept. 24. Vicinanzo said Cash told police he doesn’t know who caused the damage, “but knows there are a lot of people who do not like the flag.”
