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posted by janrinok on Monday June 29 2015, @03:44AM   Printer-friendly
from the big-brass-ones dept.

Courthouse News Service reports

A woman climbed a flagpole and cut down the Confederate flag in front of the South Carolina statehouse Saturday before promptly being arrested and seeing the banner raised again less than an hour later.

Bree Newsome, dressed in climbing gear, spoke respectfully with police gathered at the base of the flag pole as she continued to move ever closer to the flag. A video of her climb captures Newsome, a resident of Raleigh, North Carolina, talking to police from about two-thirds the way up the 30-foot pole, evidently acknowledging her imminent arrest.

"I know sir. I'm prepared", she says.

"Ma'am, come down off the pole", the officers yell as passing motorists honked their horns at the scene.

"You cannot get to me with hatred and oppression and violence", Newsome shouted as she cut the flag down. "In the name of God, this flag comes down today."

The New York Daily News identifies the woman as Brittany Ann Byuarium (Bree) Newsome of Charlotte, NC and continues

[...] When she reached the bottom, State Police took the flag out of her hands and arrested her. Another North Carolina activist, James Tyson, climbed over the four-foot wrought-iron fence and held the pole to make sure Newsome didn't fall, Lewis said. He was arrested alongside Newsome as a group of onlookers cheered off camera. The 30-year-olds were charged with defacing a monument on state Capitol grounds, a misdemeanor that can bring up to three years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

A judge ordered $3,000 bond for each of them and said they were free to travel to other states.

 
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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by penguinoid on Monday June 29 2015, @05:06AM

    by penguinoid (5331) on Monday June 29 2015, @05:06AM (#202638)

    Then how would you feel about someone illegally taking down an American flag, or a church's cross? There's plenty of people who would consider those also a symbol of hatred, intolerance, murder, racism, etc. and would consider it a public service to take them down.

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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by frojack on Monday June 29 2015, @05:22AM

    by frojack (1554) on Monday June 29 2015, @05:22AM (#202646) Journal

    Pretty much happens all the time. Someone's always tearing down and burning the flag. Its illegal, but we consider it a valid form of speech, and pretty much ignore it.

    Next?

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    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 29 2015, @06:45AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 29 2015, @06:45AM (#202671)

      The difference here is that those people burn flags they themselves own.

    • (Score: 2) by Bot on Monday June 29 2015, @10:10AM

      by Bot (3902) on Monday June 29 2015, @10:10AM (#202723) Journal

      Dafuq? If you burn YOUR flag, it's not my biz. If you ruin the flag on public buildings, it's my biz too. Would you like me to come to your home and destroy all windows partitions? Believe me, the confederate flag is NOTHING compared to windows. And I'll destroy your TV too. Much crap comes through it. Again, the confederate flag is nothing compared to TV. Fact is, my violation of others property is worse than the moral statement I'd do against whatever flag.

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      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 29 2015, @11:18PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 29 2015, @11:18PM (#203069)

        All this comparison of things on public, government property to anything privately-owned or on private property is fallicious. Come on, I know you know this.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 30 2015, @04:28AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 30 2015, @04:28AM (#203182)

          Trying to argue that the two are too different to compare is fallacious. Come on, I know you know this. It's illegal to damage or destroy anything that you don't own yourself, and you personally do not own public or government property. Therefore, it's illegal to damage or destroy public or government property.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 30 2015, @06:46AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 30 2015, @06:46AM (#203202)

          They're not the same, but The People have collective ownership of that property. It's not one or a few person's job to take it down.

    • (Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Monday June 29 2015, @12:16PM

      by LoRdTAW (3755) on Monday June 29 2015, @12:16PM (#202750) Journal

      Not illegal: http://thelawdictionary.org/article/is-flag-burning-illegal/ [thelawdictionary.org]

      The only gotcha is you can be cited for starting a fire without a permit.

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by LoRdTAW on Monday June 29 2015, @12:34PM

    by LoRdTAW (3755) on Monday June 29 2015, @12:34PM (#202753) Journal

    Then how would you feel about someone illegally taking down an American flag, or a church's cross?

    That is free speech. But of course you are trespassing and causing property damage if those items do not belong to you. This woman was prepared to accept her arrest in order to make a statement.

    There's plenty of people who would consider those also a symbol of hatred, intolerance, murder, racism, etc. and would consider it a public service to take them down.

    The difference here is the American flag represents an entire nation. As a nation, The USA and its flag were never explicitly created to represent any of those things you listed. Of course this nation has its fair share of misdeeds but the Flag has never and does not outright represent those misdeeds.

    The confederate flag was explicitly created to represent racial bigotry. If you want a good comparison: can you separate the racial ideologies of the Nazi party from its flag? Do you ever think it would be appropriate for a German government building to fly a Nazi flag? Of course not. And the same thing goes for any government building in the USA in regard to the Confederate battle flag.

    • (Score: 1, Flamebait) by penguinoid on Tuesday June 30 2015, @01:46AM

      by penguinoid (5331) on Tuesday June 30 2015, @01:46AM (#203131)

      The confederate flag was explicitly created to represent racial bigotry.

      ...said the lying racist bigot.

      Look, I get that you're trying to make yourself seem politically correct and virtuous and anti-racism, but this statement just shows you for the bigot you are.

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      • (Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Tuesday June 30 2015, @02:10AM

        by LoRdTAW (3755) on Tuesday June 30 2015, @02:10AM (#203138) Journal

        Childish name calling. Is that the best you got? If your going to attack me you better bring some real arguments to the table. Otherwise go back to the child's table and finish your veggies.

        • (Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Tuesday June 30 2015, @02:12AM

          by LoRdTAW (3755) on Tuesday June 30 2015, @02:12AM (#203141) Journal

          And before you get all grammar Nazi on me, I realize I misspelled you're.

        • (Score: 2) by penguinoid on Tuesday June 30 2015, @02:40AM

          by penguinoid (5331) on Tuesday June 30 2015, @02:40AM (#203150)

          Childish name calling.

          ...said the childish name-caller.

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        • (Score: 2) by penguinoid on Tuesday June 30 2015, @02:48AM

          by penguinoid (5331) on Tuesday June 30 2015, @02:48AM (#203152)

          If your going to attack me you better bring some real arguments to the table. Otherwise go back to the child's table and finish your veggies.

          OK, proof that LoRdTAW is a bigot:

          "The confederate flag was explicitly created to represent racial bigotry." -- LoRdTAW June 29, 08:34AM (#202753)

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          • (Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Tuesday June 30 2015, @03:05AM

            by LoRdTAW (3755) on Tuesday June 30 2015, @03:05AM (#203159) Journal

            No that is a statement of fact. Bigotry is simply an intolerance of another persons opinion. And if being intolerant of racism is bigotry then I am guilty.

            And word of advice: Name calling is not an argument. It's pretty damn weak. Now, finish your veggies.

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 30 2015, @04:34AM

              by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 30 2015, @04:34AM (#203184)

              Do you have any proof to back up that statement, or are you just using the logic "Confederate flag -> the 'south' -> slavery -> racism"?

              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 30 2015, @04:40PM

                by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 30 2015, @04:40PM (#203362)

                You just answered your own question: Confederate flag -> the 'south' -> slavery -> racism. DUH!

                I suppose Americans are not only bad at geography but also their own history. Talk about bad at history, so many of them think the world is only a few thousand years old. No wonder why they are on a downslide.

            • (Score: 2) by penguinoid on Wednesday July 01 2015, @03:23AM

              by penguinoid (5331) on Wednesday July 01 2015, @03:23AM (#203617)

              What if you're intolerant of state's rights, freedom of speech, *soldiers who died defending their land, but pretend that what you're intolerant of is racism? And what if you use **lies to justify that? You're exactly the sort of person who, 100 years ago, would have been telling everyone exactly what God gave people black skin as a representation of -- because back then, that would have been a popular viewpoint.

              *which the specific flag in this story is about

              **"The confederate flag was explicitly created to represent racial bigotry." -- LoRdTAW June 29, 08:34AM (#202753)

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          • (Score: 2) by tathra on Tuesday June 30 2015, @03:14AM

            by tathra (3367) on Tuesday June 30 2015, @03:14AM (#203162)

            OK, proof that LoRdTAW is a bigot:

            "The confederate flag was explicitly created to represent racial bigotry." -- LoRdTAW June 29, 08:34AM (#202753)

            that's not what "proof" means, nor what "bigot" means. how does pointing out facts make one a bigot? please, do explain.

            • (Score: 2) by penguinoid on Wednesday July 01 2015, @03:13AM

              by penguinoid (5331) on Wednesday July 01 2015, @03:13AM (#203614)

              Using lies to disparage a large group of people, sounds like bigotry to me.

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              • (Score: 2) by tathra on Wednesday July 01 2015, @11:14AM

                by tathra (3367) on Wednesday July 01 2015, @11:14AM (#203705)

                and who is the large group of people being disparaged with lies here, with a comment about an inanimate object?

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 30 2015, @03:11AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 30 2015, @03:11AM (#203161)

        What does "politically correct" mean?