Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

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.

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 29 2015, @01:35PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 29 2015, @01:35PM (#202778)

    > We'd better take down the United States flag itself while we're at it.

    The confederate battle flag existed for one reason - to represent a rebellion dedicated to preserving slavery. It was retired when the rebellion was put down only to be resurrected specifically to oppose the civil rights movement. Thus it has only one meaning. The US flag was not created to represent the terrible things the US has done and it also represents all the great things the US has done. Equating the two is the kind of teenage logic you should have grown out of decades ago.

    Starting Score:    0  points
    Moderation   +2  
       Insightful=1, Informative=1, Total=2
    Extra 'Informative' Modifier   0  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 1) by khallow on Monday June 29 2015, @02:03PM

    by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Monday June 29 2015, @02:03PM (#202804) Journal

    The confederate battle flag existed for one reason - to represent a rebellion dedicated to preserving slavery.

    While slavery was a big part of the reason for the Civil War (I believe most of the declarations of succession prominently mention slavery), you overstate your case. The Confederacy got a lot of people to die for it who didn't give a damn about protecting slavery.

    Personally, I think the only reason anyone is doing anything about it now is to stir up the Democrat Party base for the 2016 elections. While I grant that is part of the point of elections, it'd be nice if someone involved would care about the future of the US rather than its past. Blocking use of a Confederate flag in a few public areas isn't going to help the US's economy or make us more free from tyranny and oppression.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 29 2015, @03:33PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 29 2015, @03:33PM (#202839)

      > The Confederacy got a lot of people to die for it who didn't give a damn about protecting slavery.

      There will be always be credulous followers ready to believe the manipulative bullshit of people who want them to do their dirty work. That doesn't elevate the manipulative bullshit to anything more than that.

      • (Score: 1) by khallow on Monday June 29 2015, @09:07PM

        by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Monday June 29 2015, @09:07PM (#203004) Journal

        There will be always be credulous followers ready to believe the manipulative bullshit of people who want them to do their dirty work. That doesn't elevate the manipulative bullshit to anything more than that.

        Actually, yes, it does elevate the bullshit to reasons especially when there's a long history of pretty talk not being enough on its own to get people to die for you.

    • (Score: 1) by AntiAntagonist on Monday June 29 2015, @06:45PM

      by AntiAntagonist (4978) on Monday June 29 2015, @06:45PM (#202943)

      Convincing people to fight for you regardless of your core belief is the central aim of politicking. It is also beside the point since from it's inception the Confederacy was about keeping slavery; it was one of the central points of the Cornerstone Speech [wikipedia.org].

      Indeed taking the flag down doesn't affect the US economy much at all, however it was put up specifically to disenfranchise minority voters. I don't know how else you could label that except as "tyranny and oppression". Can the South Carolina Legislature and Governor really not walk and chew gum at the same time?

      • (Score: 1) by khallow on Monday June 29 2015, @08:44PM

        by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Monday June 29 2015, @08:44PM (#202994) Journal

        Indeed taking the flag down doesn't affect the US economy much at all, however it was put up specifically to disenfranchise minority voters. I don't know how else you could label that except as "tyranny and oppression".

        I would label it as an empty act of minor defiance.

        • (Score: 1) by AntiAntagonist on Wednesday July 01 2015, @04:51PM

          by AntiAntagonist (4978) on Wednesday July 01 2015, @04:51PM (#203823)

          Yep, defiance against human decency, equality, and pluralism.

          • (Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday July 02 2015, @01:21PM

            by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Thursday July 02 2015, @01:21PM (#204219) Journal
            I don't buy that you favor human decency, equality, and pluralism. Frankly, squandering your efforts on a fruitless effort to remove a flag nobody cares about seems a better use of your time than what you'd probably want next.
            • (Score: 1) by AntiAntagonist on Thursday July 02 2015, @04:04PM

              by AntiAntagonist (4978) on Thursday July 02 2015, @04:04PM (#204291)

              I am not casting aspersions on your character. I attribute those to the flag and what it symbolizes. I do not know why you think I do not value human decency, equality, and pluralism. Or is this an indirect ad hominem on my character?

              Why would it be a fruitless effort if people are upset at what the flag symbolizes and therefore want it removed? Typing comments takes minutes and is free. Working for cash, then donating to causes takes hours or days.

              • (Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday July 02 2015, @08:39PM

                by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Thursday July 02 2015, @08:39PM (#204396) Journal

                I am not casting aspersions on your character. I attribute those to the flag and what it symbolizes. I do not know why you think I do not value human decency, equality, and pluralism. Or is this an indirect ad hominem on my character?

                My view on this is that we suddenly have all this care about the old civil war flag because racism in the traditional sense of the word motivates a considerable portion of the Democrat party base to vote and those additional voters will be needed in order for the Democrats to hold their ground in the 2016 elections (and possibly win the US Presidency).

                The thing is, if we do strip the civil war flag from US public buildings for your alleged reasons, then what? The Democrats still need to win the 2016 elections (and beyond). There will be new race baiting. I'd much rather this be directed at a colorful rag in Georgia than say the traditional process of Balkanization.

      • (Score: 1) by khallow on Monday June 29 2015, @09:02PM

        by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Monday June 29 2015, @09:02PM (#203001) Journal

        Convincing people to fight for you regardless of your core belief is the central aim of politicking. It is also beside the point since from it's inception the Confederacy was about keeping slavery; it was one of the central points of the Cornerstone Speech.

        I obviously disagree. Confederate soldiers endured considerable privation over a several year period. You wouldn't get them out of bed to protect rich peoples' slaves yet they fought, suffered, and died for up to four years. That shows there was more to this rebellion than just protecting slavery. As I see it, the reason was that there was a considerable loyalty to the state in the early years of the US republic at least in the South and most people sided with their state over the federal government.

        In large part, this was because the federal government was puny prior to the Civil War while the state level played a prominent role in the lives of their citizens. There also wasn't as much mobility as there is today. So the period leading up to the Civil War was also about a remote government imposing its will on a local respected government.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 29 2015, @09:27PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 29 2015, @09:27PM (#203012)

        Can the South Carolina Legislature and Governor really not walk and chew gum at the same time?

        Apparently not. Just the other day I read that their Legislature won't eve debate the issue of removing the flag until January. Yes, January. I can't help but think they are just hoping this brouhaha will go away after something else moves this story off the front page headlines. Bastards, all of them!