FLORIDA: Confederate Flag in Panhandle Pits North Against South
DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, Fla. — Supporters and opponents of the Confederate flag will square off again on Tuesday, this time in a Florida Panhandle community with a geographic twist as “northerners” may be more supportive of the flag than people in the South. The place is Walton County, sandwiched between Panama City and Destin in northwest Florida. Founded in 1824, it’s one of the oldest counties in Florida and perhaps best known as the home of Seaside, the photogenic New Urbanism beachfront community used as the setting for the Jim Carrey film “The Truman Show.”
Almanac of Florida PoliticsMap courtesy Almanac of Florida Politics
Walton is bordered by Alabama on the north and the Gulf of Mexico on the south, and the rebel flag has fluttered on the grounds of a Civil War memorial on the lawn of the Walton County Courthouse since 1964 — the same year President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act.
In the aftermath of last month’s massacre at an African-American church in Charleston, S.C., opponents launched an aggressive effort to take down the flag. The five-member Walton County Commission heard both sides debate the issue two weeks ago, and delayed a final vote until Tuesday — at the courthouse in DeFuniak Springs on the county’s north side, not far from the Alabama border.
“I’m hopeful,” says Daniel Uhlfelder, a 42-year-old lawyer, a 14-year resident and leader of the flag opponents who launched an online petition to have the flag removed. “It’s a divisive symbol that doesn’t belong on the courthouse grounds. It was immediately offensive to me. We’re the last courthouse in Florida that has a flag on the grounds.”
Uhlfelder said he’s troubled by the setting of Tuesday’s vote in DeFuniak Springs, where many families have lived for generations and where support for the flag is strongest. “It’s a friendlier forum,” Uhlfelder said.
In the aftermath of the Charleston killings, the governors of South Carolina and Alabama ordered the flags removed from state capitols, and the city of Pensacola recently removed the flag. Walton County’s two Republican legislators are split on the issue: Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, says it should come down, and Rep. Brad Drake, R-Eucheeanna, says it should continue to fly.
“If someone says they’re going to take down a valued piece of American history, I’m not going to agree with that,” Drake said. The flag is not a symbol of racial hatred, he said, but of the American soldiers who fought for the “CSA,” the Confederate States of America. “Regardless of the consequences, it’s a valid piece of American history.”
The Northwest Florida Daily News, which has editorialized in favor of removing the flag, ran pro and con op-eds on Sunday by Uflfelder and Danny Glidewell of DeFuniak Springs, who described America as a place “besieged by political correctness.”
A Confederate Monument in Walton County
CREDIT WALTON COUNTY
The county commission meets at 9 a.m. central time on Tuesday. “There’s going to be a lot of pressure on them,” says Jim Anders, a long-time Walton resident, vice-chairman of the local Republican Party and a flag opponent. “I’m from the Panhandle and I do understand our heritage. But it needs to be taken down.”
The President of the NAACP’s Northwest Florida Branch, Raymond Jackson, says removing the flag that’s been up since 1964 is a step in the right direction to bring unity to the county, “When we see this flag it brings back memories of the time when we had separate waiting rooms in the bus station, black and white drinking fountains in the courthouse. When we did fight for our civil rights, the county commission voted to put this flag up to let us know where they stood on our civil rights.”
This is not the first time efforts have been mounted to remove the Confederate flag in Walton County. Attorney Daniel Uhlfelder tried unsuccessfully in 2002. Since then, two new commissioners have been elected, and Uhlfelder says he has a petition with over 1.600 signatures, both locally and nationally, in another such campaign, “This flag must be removed because it has become a symbol of division, racism, bigotry, and disunity.
“Studies have shown that placement of the flag on courthouse grounds directly effects the ability of a person being able to get equal justice and a fair trial. Not just for African Americans but for whites. Your task is very simple. There’s no reason to delay. Do you want to tell the rest of the world that when you come to the Walton County Courthouse you are not going to get a fair trial or equal justice?”
Anders, who’s been in the land and timber business since the 1970s, said residents of South Walton are mostly transplants from elsewhere, and people living around DeFuniak Springs are more likely to be lifelong residents.
Commissioners Cecilia Jones and Bill Imself did not respond to requests for comment. The agenda includes proposed purchases of an ice machine and a mobile satellite radio telephone for emergencies and “continued discussion of the Confederate battle flag on the courthouse lawn.”
–tampabay.com
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VIRGINIA: Voters Split on Confederate Flag, Poll Finds
Virginia voters are divided 46 – 45 percent on whether the Confederate flag should be removed from state license plates, according to a Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll released on Monday.
FILE This Thursday May 2, 2002 file photo shows a sample of the Sons of Confederate Veterans specialty Virginia state license plate in Richmond, Va. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said Tuesday, June 23, 2015 that he’s moving to have the Confederate flag banished from state license plates in the wake of a massacre at a black church in Charleston, South Carolina. (Mark Gormus/Richmond Times Dispatch via AP)
In Virginia, support for eliminating the option of ordering a license plate with a Confederate flag is 73 – 19 percent among Democrats and 48 – 42 percent among independent voters, with Republicans standing by the Stars & Bars 71 – 24 percent.
–wsls.com
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KENTUCKY: Lexington Citizens Can Weigh In On Confederate Monuments
LEXINGTON, Ky. — A public meeting has been set for 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24, to give all Lexington citizens an opportunity to express their opinions about the location and presentation of two of the city’s Civil War statues and an historic marker.
The statue of John Hunt Morgan, a Confederate officer, is one of two statues and a historical marker under review. (Photo from Wikimedia Commons)
The meeting, with KET’s Renee Shaw as moderator, is part of a review Mayor Jim Gray asked the Urban County Arts Review Board to conduct concerning two statues – those of Civil War officers John Hunt Morgan and John C. Breckinridge — that have stood near the Main Street Courthouse for more than a century.
The panel has also been asked to study a historic marker in Cheapside Park, located next to the courthouse, noting the history of slave trading near the courthouse.
The marker has been in the park since 2003.
“We must consider the overall effect of these Civil War memorials,” Gray said.
“While we should acknowledge our history, we must also ensure an inclusive environment where every Lexingtonian is welcome and supported by our community.”
The Urban County Arts Review Board is a body of artists, engineers and historians.
The board is charged with reviewing art projects on public lands to guarantee a sense of public good and to ensure they meet community standards.
Gray has nominated two new members to fill vacancies on the board, which is chaired by Georgia Henkel. Pending approval by the Urban County Council when it returns from summer break in August, Edd Mackey, a city engineering technician who is involved in local arts organizations, and Sonja Brooks, an educator and artist, will join the board.
In addition to the public meeting, the board plans to meet: ‣ 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 12, when Gray will provide direction and answer questions from Board members. ‣ 3 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 16, when the Board will interview a variety of experts.
All meetings will be held in the council chamber, Government Center, 200 E. Main St., and will be televised live on G-TV3. Gray has asked the board to report its finding to the mayor and council in October.
–kyforward.com
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VIRGINIA: Second Confederate Flag Ride Travels Through City
PETERSBURG, Va. — Another convoy of vehicles sporting Confederate flags attempted to make its way through Petersburg yesterday, despite angry reactions from residents of the mostly African-American community to another flag ride two weeks ago.
This week’s ride of roughly 20 vehicles was much smaller than the group of over 145 cars, trucks and motorcycles gathered on July 11, to display the Confederate flag, Confederate battle flag and the United States flag. When the group passed through Petersburg’s downtown at the intersection of Wythe and Sycamore streets, some city residents launched water bottles at the vehicles and gave vocal threats. The ride was organized by local Confederate flag support group 804 Flyers and truck enthusiasts 804 Lifted.
Skip Rogers, the organizer of Saturdays event at far right, leads the participants in a moment of silence before they drove off from Petersburg Saturday morning. — Scott P. Yates/Progress-Index
Skip Rogers, organizer of the NAACP (National Association for Awakening Confederate Patriots) Flag Ride on Saturday, said that the group chose a different route through the city because of the violent incident. He said that he started planning the ride three weeks ago.
The 32-year-old Colonial Heights resident and fellow riders gathered in a grass lot in the 3600 block of South Crater Road at around 10 a.m. He led the convoy on a direct route out of the city down Wagner and Courthouse roads. The group ended its ride at the I don’t Know Sports Grille, in the 1900 block of West Hundred Road, in Chester.
Rogers, who led the convoy, said that reactions to this ride were considerably less aggressive, with no water bottles being thrown. He said that some bystanders near the Wawa on Route 10, in Chester, spoke to the group in a “disrespectful” manner.
A paper cup filled with liquid was thrown at a car driven by a female juvenile on the way to the ride. A man drove by, honked and raised his middle finger at the group as it gathered on South Crater Road.
Rogers said that it was important to start the 16-mile ride in Petersburg because 60,000 soldiers from both the Union and Confederate Armies died in the Siege of Petersburg during the Civil War. He pointed out that these casualties are higher than the city’s current population of 32,000.
Stephen Turner, 25, of Chester, brought his pickup truck to both rides. Turner said that he wanted to get the message across that flying the confederate flag isn’t a racist act.
“I’m just trying to show that it’s not hate, it’s heritage,” he said.
Turner added that any violence toward those carrying the Confederate flag was “making a big deal out of nothing.”
Turner, who brought his son with him, said that he felt safe because there was a greatly increased police presence from that of the previous ride.
Several officers from the Petersburg Bureau of Police were posted at the opening gathering on South Crater Road. A few positioned themselves throughout the area along the ride’s route.
Captain E.S. Jones of Petersburg Bureau of Police said that he didn’t think that the flag riders were out to incite violence. He noted that the group chose to drive through a less densely populated section of the city and started their ride in the morning.
He said that police took the time of the ride and the route into consideration.
“If they had come through the city at 2 p.m. in the afternoon, there would have been a different response,” Jones said.
Esther Hyatt, police spokeswoman, said that a supervisor and two officers were being paid over time to be present at the event.
Jones said that police weren’t required to give the group traffic assistance while it was driving because the riders didn’t hold a parade permit. He said that officers were on hand for the protection of both the riders and bystanders.
Hyatt said that the group wasn’t required to hold a parade permit because it was obeying the standard laws of regular traffic, such as not proceeding through red lights.
–progress-index.com
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