Charlotte woman removes Confederate flag at SC Statehouse

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The debate over the Confederate flag ratcheted up in the Carolinas Saturday.
 
Community activist and Charlotte woman Bree Newsome climbed a flag pole outside the South Carolina Statehouse and tore down the battle flag.
 
 "It was the right thing to do," she said as she was being arrested. "It was the right thing to do and it was time for somebody to step up. Do the right thing. We have to bury hate. It's been too long."

Social media reaction to flag's removal
 
Police also arrested James Tyson of Charlotte, who helped Newsome in her effort to remove the flag from the Civil War memorial on the Capitol grounds, officials said.

Ultimately, the flag was put back up but lawmakers have discussed removing it since nine people were shot to death inside Emanuel AME Church in Charleston June 17.

On Monday, Bree Newsome’s father Dr. Clarence G. Newsome issued this statement:

<strong>As a father, my first priority is the safety and well-being of my daughter. Raised as a person of conscience, Bree chose to express her passion in the tradition of Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr. and countless others who took a stand for freedom. The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center welcomes the opportunity to discuss the confederate flag's meaning, both past and present, and the impact the flag has on current conversations regarding race relations and civil rights.</strong>

Bree Newsome released a statement Monday as well.

Newsome's four-page statement is titled "Now is the time for true courage." Click here to read it.

The discussion has been met with much opposition from supporters of the Confederate flag.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans Mechanized Cavalry held a rally outside the Gaston County Courthouse Saturday.

ARTICLE: Supporters of Confederate flag rally in Gaston County

Men and women waived the Confederate flag and held signs that read, "Don't erase our history."

Vandals target Confederate monuments in half-dozen states

In the crowd was Clifford Hamm, 91, who told Channel 9 his father fought for the Confederate army. He echoed what many expressed outside the courthouse, that the flag represents heritage, not hate. 
 
"You cannot fully understand a situation unless you walk all the way around it," Hamm said. "You need to look at it from every side and that's what we're trying to do."
 
"Slavery was not the issue of the war," said Bill Starnes, who serves as captain of the area SCVMC. "There were a lot of issues leading up to that conflict."
 
Starnes later gave an example, saying their ancestors wanted a free-trade economy. 
 
"He (Dylann Roof) did not represent us; who we are and what we're about," Starnes said.

"My position all along has been we do not need to be having this discussion right now. We shouldn’t be having this rally. We should be in prayer for those families and the victims (of the Charleston shooting).”

Flimmaker Michael Moore tweeted that he would pay Newsome's bail and legal fees and asked who would be the next person to remove the flag.


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