News From Around the South 7/13 to 7/20

Michigan: Protests End Over Kid Rock’s Use of Confederate Flag

DETROIT — The recent hoopla over Kid Rock using the Confederate flag in his live shows has developed an interesting twist. Despite what protesters believed, the singer has not displayed the controversial battle flag in several years, according to his representative. Protesters are now ending their fight in convincing General Motors (GM) to drop their sponsorship of the singer’s tour.

Last week, about a dozen protesters from the Detroit chapter of Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network (NAN) demonstrated outside of the Detroit Historic Museum where Rock, a native of the city, funds a music exhibit, reported USA Today. The protesters expressed that they were in opposition of Rock’s use of the Confederate flag — the Southern symbol that has been heavily criticized in recent months since Dylan Roof, the man who killed nine people at a Black church in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17, was seen in pictures sporting the flag. The outrage over its offensive symbolism resulted in the flag being taken off the grounds of the South Carolina Statehouse.

The scrutiny of Rock first began on social media on June 20 when Oakland Press writer Ken Hreha penned a piece about the flag and deemed Rock as being Michigan’s “most visible proponent” of the symbol. He additionally questioned the morality of GM’s Chevrolet, which is sponsoring Rock’s tour.

On Wednesday, Rock’s publicist, Nick Stern, told the Detroit Free Press that the protesters were mistaken. He said that when Rock was presented with a Great Expectations Award from Detroit’s NAACP in 2011, the “Cowboy” singer decided to stop using the Confederate flag.

“It’s been more than five years since he’s had that flag on tour,” Stern said. “They’re protesting something he’s not even doing.”

As Rock accepted his NAACP award, around 40 protesters who disapproved of Rock being honored were outside burning the Confederate flag, although according to Stern, Rock had not used the flag in over a year prior to the award event. While inside, Rock addressed the crowd, saying he “never flew the flag with hate in my heart,” adding, “I love America, I love Detroit, and I love Black people.”

“That was the impetus,” Stern said of the day Rock received his award. “Since then, he’s never flown it again.”

Rock began using the flag in the early 2000s and told the Detroit Free Press in 2002 that it represented rebellion and Southern rock.

Rev. Charles Williams II, president of Michigan’s NAN, explained Wednesday why the group continued to go after Rock.

“It was our understanding that Kid Rock had used the flag, is using the flag and has tried to defend that flag,” said Williams.

After the Charleston church shooting, Williams said, “We realized that there is a culture that’s been promoting the flag, and we saw Kid Rock being one of those people who was promoting it.”

On July 8, Rock emailed a message to Fox News’ Megyn Kelly, which she read to her audience: “Please tell the people protesting that they can kiss my a–.”

Williams spoke with GM Thursday, and the motor vehicle company issued a statement saying GM will continue in their dealings with Rock.

“We had a very constructive conversation with Rev. Williams and we plan to continue the dialogue going forward. Chevrolet plans to continue its sponsorship of Kid Rock’s summer concert series,” the statement read.

Williams explained that the NAN would no longer be targeting Rock.

“There’s not a need to protest now,” Williams said. “It doesn’t mean it’s off the table, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t going to be escalated actions at some point. It just means the dialogue is going in the right direction, and we are looking forward to seeing if we can come to some solutions.”

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VIRGINIA: Confederate Flag Removed From Norfolk Naval Yard

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A Confederate flag has been taken down from outside the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.

To some, it represents heritage. To others, it symbolizes racism and the subjugation of a people.

Although the Confederate battle flag is steeped in military symbolism – men on both sides of that flag lost their lives over what it represented in the Civil War – there is no military policy on displaying it.

In fact, one of the original flags of the Confederacy – not the most familiar one – has flown over the historical side gate of Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth since 1967. There, the Gosport Shipyard, as it was called then, served the Confederate States Navy until it was destroyed in 1862 and rebuilt under its current name.

Nationwide, the glorification of the Confederate battle flag last month by the man who gunned down nine people in a South Carolina church, under a banner of white supremacism, sparked debate over whether the flag should be retired as a symbol of Southern history.

In the wake of the massacre, Alabama removed the flag from its government buildings, and South Carolina followed suit.

But the Defense Department says there is “no guidance that specifically discusses the display of the Confederate flag.” A Navy spokesperson referred to Pentagon rules governing good order and discipline and said it falls to the commanding officer to balance that with an individual’s right to free expression.

A commander can bar a service member from behavior or actions that “present a clear danger to the loyalty, discipline or morale of the troops,” the rule says. Further, “Military personnel must not actively advocate supremacist, extremist or criminal gang doctrine, ideology, or causes, including those that advance, encourage or advocate illegal discrimination based on race, creed, color, sex, religion ethnicity or national origin.”

To some, that includes this Confederate flag, too.

“Due to the recent events, I would say it’s offensive,” said Priscilla Bonilla, a former sailor who has walked past the flag to and from work every day as a fire watch supervisor at the shipyard without ever noticing it. When it was pointed out to her, the Chesapeake resident said she doubted other people knew it was there.

“If they did, I think it would be an issue,” she said. “I can understand both sides because of the history. But I can see how you don’t want to send a message that you support it, and if you allow it, that’s what you are showing people.”

But not everyone sees it that way. Will Aygarn, who can trace his family farm back generations in what was then Princess Anne County, views the flag as a symbol of Virginia’s proud history, not a symbol of slavery. The former sailor said he has ancestors who fought on both sides of the Civil War.

On Memorial Day, Aygarn flew a Confederate flag on a telephone pole at the front of his property, but vandals recently tore it down. The 55-year-old got a ladder and put the flag higher up on the pole.

“The flag means history, Princess Anne County and family heritage and Virginia’s opposition to the invading federal armies,” he said. “I think that Virginia’s involvement in the war is nothing at all to be ashamed of.”

In 1861 in Savannah, Ga., Confederacy Vice President Alexander Hamilton Stephens gave what is known as the Cornerstone Speech, in which he disputed the idea that black and white races were equal.

“Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea,” he said. “Its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests upon the great truth that the Negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural and normal condition. This, our new government, is the first in the history of the world based upon this great physical, philosophical and moral truth.”

That sentiment was echoed by each of the Confederate states in the justification for war. Such statements are evidence that the flag symbolizes racial subjugation, says Timothy Orr, an assistant history professor at Old Dominion University.

“The Confederate flag is a symbol of the Confederacy, which was founded on white supremacy,” said Orr, who specializes in Civil War history. He said the flag has continued to represent that as a symbol for the Ku Klux Klan and for modern racist groups.

“Throughout its history… this flag has been used as a symbol of white supremacy,” he said. “I guess that’s why it is such a polarizing icon.”

The flag flying over the gates of the shipyard is not the most-recognizable Stars and Bars, but the original flag of the Confederacy with seven stars representing the original states that seceded. It has flown since the 200th anniversary of the shipyard in 1967 alongside an American flag, a British flag and the flag of Virginia – the “four sovereign flags flown over the shipyard gates,” according to an article on Navy history on the Navy’s website.

One Navy official who was not authorized to discuss the issue and spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was the only Navy facility in the country displaying a Confederate flag.

If Civil War sailors who fought here for the Union were alive today, Orr said, they would be appalled to see the flag outside the shipyard.

But the flag is a symbol for a much deeper wound, he said, which threatens to undermine the founding principle of this country: that all men are created equal.

“The government ought to take steps,” he said. “If we mean to live up to that promise, something needs to be done. With all the racial incidents that happened this year, it kind of suggests the work of uniting the country still needs to be done.”

On Friday, following questions from The Virginian-Pilot, the Navy took a step.

A spokesperson for the facility said that “with everything going on in the world” the shipyard commander, Capt. Scott Brown, ordered all four flags taken down and put in a museum “in the best interest of our workforce and the U.S. Navy.”

The flags had marked the shipyard’s 248-year history, but times change, spokeswoman Terri Davis said.

“The flags represent progress, progress in shipbuilding, progress in repair and progress in the defense of our country,” Davis said. “Removing the flags from the gates doesn’t diminish their historical significance, but it does allow us to focus on successful execution of our mission.”

On Sunday evening, a photo of four American flags at the gate was posted to the shipyard’s Facebook page. The caption: “We are America’s Shipyard! United we stand under one flag.”

–PilotOnline.com

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VIRGINIA: Sons of Confederate Veterans Gathering Attracts Protesters

RICHMOND, Va. — The “oldest hereditary organization for male descendants of Confederate soldiers” in the U.S. kicked off its annual convention Wednesday near the former capital of the Confederacy. The Sons of Confederate Veterans and its 120th yearly gathering caught the attention of many protesters, who demonstrated their opposition in response.

The five-day convention was scheduled to take place from July 15th to the 19th in the suburbs of Richmond, Virginia. Protesters met Wednesday in front of the home of Jefferson Davis and the Museum of Confederacy, where the Sons of Confederate Veterans gathered.

Protesters held signs that read, “Heritage? Stop Excuse for Racism,” “Solidarity With Charleston,” “Stop Excuses For Racism” and “White Silence Equals Violence.” In response, a single Confederate flag bearer stood in the middle of the protesters with his young son.

“This flag didn’t kill anybody, this flag is an inanimate object,” the man said, according to NBC 12. “I don’t think it should be labeled as a racist symbol, because I’m certainly not a racist person. I’m not raising my son to be a racist.”

The group planned to hold the majority of their conference at a DoubleTree by Hilton hotel located in Chesterfield, Virginia, and protesters began to pressure the hotel over the group’s Confederate flag displays. A reception was planned at the White House of Confederacy.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans commemorates Confederate history and was recently at the center of controversy in the wake of the Charleston, South Carolina shootings for its support and pride for the Confederacy and the Confederate flag.

In one of their most recent attempts to protect Confederate symbols, the group said that it would go to court in order to keep the Confederate flag on Virginia license plates. Last month, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe had moved to have the flag taken off the state’s license plates and called the flag’s image divisive.

–InternationalBusinessTimes.com

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FLORIDA: Hillsborough County Removes Confederate Flag

The Hillsborough County Commission in Florida voted to remove the Confederate flag that has flown in the government center for the past two decades as reported by the Tampa Bay Times.

It was removed on Wednesday and was handed over to the Tampa Bay History Center.

Commissioner Les Miller led the debate to take down the flag calling it “the white man flag.” He also said it represented:

Supremacy of the white man over the inferior or colored race.

Commissioner Ken Hagan said the flag was long forgotten but they were reminded it was there after the shooting in South Carolina:

Let’s be honest, most people, including myself, didn’t realize the flag was displayed here. But I cannot ignore that while the Confederate flag represents heritage to some, it represents oppression, abuse and enslavement to others.

Commissioner Stacy White opposed removing the flag. She said it was political correctness gone awry and it was hysteria.

She said:

Every Confederate symbol on this planet can be eliminated and it won’t do a thing to stop a heart of hatred.

In the end the confederate flag lost and Commissioner Victor Crist had the following to say about it:

There was bloodshed on both sides of (the Civil War), but the bottom line is it’s been 150 years, the war is over and we move on.

In all sincerity, it’s time.

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SOUTH CAROLINA: Man Sues Over Confederate Gun Ban

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – When the city of Columbia temporarily banned guns around the Statehouse as the Confederate flag was lowered, it violated the U.S. Constitution and created a dangerous situation, a Lexington County man says in a lawsuit.

In the lawsuit, filed Thursday in Richland County, attorneys for Walid Hakim wrote that the city’s ban on firearms within 250 feet of the Statehouse isn’t lawful because it affects people who are just driving by the complex on one of the city’s major thoroughfares. Also, it says, workers in nearby office buildings where concealed carry is permitted are unconstitutionally affected by the ban.

The city council enacted the emergency ban July 9, a day before thousands gathered at the Statehouse to watch state troopers lower the Confederate battle flag from a pole near a monument to Confederate soldiers and move it to a museum.

Weapons already are prohibited at the Statehouse complex, but city leaders said they enacted the temporary ban near the grounds to safeguard against violence during protests. It’s set to expire next month.

A North Carolina-based Ku Klux Klan group plans to rally Saturday at the Statehouse to support the Confederate flag, which was removed three weeks after nine parishioners were shot to death at a historic black church in Charleston. The victims included its pastor, state Sen. Clementa Pinckney. A 21-year-old white man who posed for online photos with the Confederate flag faces nine murder charges.

In the lawsuit, Hakim’s attorneys say the city gave no reason for the 250-foot distance, calling it “arbitrary and capricious.”

Hakim, who has a concealed weapons permit, said the ban infringes on his right to protect himself near the Statehouse.

“I’m just hoping that our lawmakers stop breaking the law in order to protect us,” Hakim said in a written statement provided to The Associated Press. “If our leaders do not follow state law, then where is the incentive for ordinary citizens to do so?”

The ordinance is based on vague state law that doesn’t define “dangerous weapon,” Hakim’s lawyers argue, saying it could prohibit workers at restaurants within the 250-foot radius from carrying cooking utensils and knives needed for their jobs.

The lawsuit, first reported by The State newspaper, asks a judge to declare the ordinance unconstitutional and to prohibit the city from enforcing it. City officials declined to discuss the pending litigation.

–Associated Press

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ARKANSAS: Civil War Set Over Rebels Nickname

FORT SMITH, Ark. — A “Rally for the Rebels!” event will be held at the Southside High School football stadium just days ahead of a planned Fort Smith School Board vote to change the school’s mascot and fight song.

Fort Smith attorney Joey McCutchen, the de facto leader of those opposing the mascot change, and a former member of the Fort Smith School Board, has scheduled the rally for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., July 24 (Friday) at the football field.

“I expect a big turnout, but who knows. Today is the first day, obviously, that I put out the post of the rally,” McCutchen said.

The rally Facebook page invites attendees to “share your memories, stories and experiences of Southside High School on our Facebook page AND at the RALLY FOR THE REBELS!”

“This event is for our entire community. Let’s show the world that life truly is worth living in Fort Smith, Arkansas and that our traditions matter,” noted the invitation.

A committee of the School Board voted 6-0 in a June 23 meeting to discontinue use of ‘Dixie as the Southside High School fight song in the 2015-2016 school year and to change the Southside mascot from the Rebel in the 2016-2017 school year.

Southside High School was formed in 1963 and over the years there have been attempts to change the mascot. One of those happened in the late 1980s when a school board committee pushed for a change. The effort failed to gain support from a majority of those then on the Board.

“The Board understands the challenges of changing what has come to be the tradition of the Southside High School community, and will work with the student body and staff over the next year to name a new mascot and fight song for the school,” noted a statement from the District after the June 23 committee vote.

The move to change the mascot was fueled in large part by the national discussion about racial imagery following the tragedy in Charleston, S.C., in which nine members of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal church were shot and killed by Dylan Roof.

The Board is expected to vote July 27 on the committee’s recommendation to change the mascot. Fort Smith School Board President Dr. Deanie Mehl has said she is confident the board will officially vote to do away with the “Johnny Reb” themed mascot at Southside High School.

McCutchen told The City Wire he has received an “enormous amount of calls” from people in the District concerned that their voice will not be heard at the July 27 School Board meeting.

“I think people need a forum to express themselves,” McCutchen said Thursday when asked why he organized the rally. “There are people asking questions, like, ‘Why are we doing this in Fort Smith?’ … There are no racial tensions. We’ve always been a community.”

He said he also has heard from teachers who point out that the same School Board pursuing a possible millage increase also is voting to change a mascot that could cost the District up to $500,000. McCutchen is optimistic the rally and other lobbying efforts will cause “school board members who are really thinking” to believe there is a more serious way to address race relations.

“I would like to see the Board consider serious matters, like our children’s education. … I don’t want, and a lot of people don’t want, teachers included, don’t want hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on changing a mascot,” McCutchen said.

He also plans on inviting members and leaders of the African American community to the rally.

At least one African American leader in the city does not plan to attend. Fort Smith City Director André Good said he has already heard McCutchen’s “very inflammatory” remarks on southern “heritage” and other imagery that glorifies a time in history when blacks were property.

Good said he respects the idea that people are able to gather and talk about their heritage, but doesn’t support retaining the Rebel mascot.

Zena Featherston, director of communications for the Fort Smith Public School District, said School Board members and top school administrators do not plan to attend the rally.

–TheCityWire.com

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