The Confederate flag raised next to the courthouse in Marshall County is coming down.
After much discussion pro and con, county Judge-Executive Kevin Neal announced he would order both the Confederate flag and the Civil-War era Union flag that had been added to the display taken down from above the historical cannon on the courthouse lawn.
In a post shared on the Marshall County Fiscal Court page on Facebook, Neal said,
Many of you have expressed that the Courthouse grounds should not be a place for this flag display. I intend to ask the Fiscal Court to write policies regarding the Courthouse grounds and properties. The intent in displaying these flags was never to offend anyone, although many expressed this was the unintended effect. We value the thoughts and opinions of our citizens when dealing with controversial issues which has led us to taking down the flags today and letting the Fiscal Court discuss the proper location.
Various suggestions have been made regarding other locations for the flags, including the Mike Miller Park, named for the late county judge-executive. Here are comments by some citizens of Marshall County.
From Trista Larkin of Marshall County, who along with her husband Jay adopted a black child: “The Fiscal Court just released a statement saying the Confederate flag is being taken down. Many have suggested they move it to the Veterans Plaza at Mike Miller Park and hang it along with the Union flag and American flag. This, in my opinion, doesn’t seem to be much better as it’s the first thing you see driving into the park and in a public place in the county. After taking with commissioners, they would have to vote on that and it doesn’t sound like it would pass.”
From J.W. Cleary: “I too am glad that Marshall County took the Confederate flag down and believe in my heart it was the right thing to do. But I want to thank [former Sheriff and U.S. Marshal] Brian Roy and the community of Marshall County. Special thanks go out to the NAACP State President, Mr. Marcus Ray, for his letter to [County Judge-Executive Kevin Neal and the fiscal court] to take the flag down and to Mr. Berry Craig for the story he did about the Confederate flag. I understand some people would like to put the flag in the Judge Mike Miller Park but I don’t think that would be a good place for it because that too is a public park.”
KY NAACP proposes exploring alternatives together
In a letter sent to Neal, the president of the Kentucky NAACP, Marcus Ray, thanked Neal for “taking into consideration the feelings of the minority and of we the people.” He then offered the following idea:
The controversy surrounding the Confederate flag and symbols around the country continues to surface because there has not been meaningful dialogue in this country about a solution that will satisfy both sides.
During my conversation with Commissioners Spraggs and Collins, I suggested that we work together to come up with a way to honor the memory of those who served on both sides that does not stir feelings of resentment on one side and hate on the other. I remain committed to finding a viable solution and look forward to having the conversation with anyone that is interested in having it.
I propose that we lead the Country on this issue and start the dialogue and see what we can come up with that will work for both sides of the issue.
–30–