From: info@VAflaggers.com
Sunday,
September 19th, the Va Flaggers traveled to Reidsville, NC to stand
with Jamie Funkhouser and the Tar Heel Flaggers in the spot where the
Reidsville Confederate Monument once stood.
We
arrived to rainy weather and to find Jamie already in position and
enjoying breakfast someone had dropped off for him. Right away we
realized that this is no normal flagging situation (if there is one).
Inside the traffic circle, where the monument once proudly stood, the
city has planted vegetation, in an obvious move to keep Jamie from
standing comfortably (and safely) inside. There is a 6" curb
separating the inside from the sidewalk that surrounds it. Once Jamie
was driven out of the circle, he was then told he could not stand on
the sidewalk, because it was officially not a sidewalk, but rather a
rolling curb, for vehicles to use if they can't make the
turn...SO...Jamie stands on the 6" of curb. Wanting to hear about this
firsthand, I spent the first hour or so walking around the statue on
the sidewalk. Sure enough, we were visited by a Reidsville Police
Officer who stopped by and told me I had to stand on the curb or leave
the circle. So, we all stood on the curb for the remainder of the
day.
This video describes the curb situation well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Jww-PTa6Zv4
And here's one of Va Flagger TriPp Lewis having a little fun walking the tightrope: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0QSVKYzKLg&feature=plcp
"Do
not damage plants or vegetation", AKA "Do not stand here, Jamie
Funkhouser". Vegetation must be preserved in Reidsville. Confederate
monuments, on the other hand...not so much.
There
were 10 of all together, and we were able to surround the traffic
circle for most of the day. Traffic was brisk and the people of
Reidsville were OVERWHELMINGLY supportive. Shouts of "God Bless You",
"We're gonna get him back", and especially expressions of thanks were
the norm as folks passed us on the curb. Lori Dodson met us when we
arrived and made her business available to us for bathroom breaks and
left us a supply of drinks and snacks. Another Reidsville resident
stopped by to bring us biscuits.
Throughout
the (did I mention very rainy?) day, we also received visits from HPAC
officials, who stopped by to thank each of us personally and to shake
our hands, including Dianne Parnell, VP (who also brought some
DELICIOUS, STILL WARM chocolate chip cookies), Ira Tilley, Public
Relations, and Sherry Graham, Secretary. I can tell you that the Va
Flaggers have never received such a warm reception as we did from the
people of Reidsville on this rainy day.
We
have heard about this situation from Jamie for over a year now, but
until I stood where he stands, I could not truly understand. He showed
us the direction from which the car came that "accidentally" hit the
statue. Take a look at this picture I took, looking in the direction
the car was coming. The story (and they are sticking to it) is that
the driver fell asleep and hit the statue. What you might not realize
is that he would have had to have been sleeping and operating the gas
pedal, because he would've been traveling UPHILL!!! Seems very
unlikely when you stand and look at it...
This
young lady was walking by with a young man and a baby in a stroller.
Curious, she walked across the street and asked us what was going on.
TriPp explained the situation, and described what had happened to the
monument and that we were out here to protest the removal of a monument
to Confederate veterans. Satisfied, she starts to walk back across the
street and yells out to the young man..."It's ok...they ain't no
racists!".
Changing hearts and minds. :)
We
finished out the day by planting a set of stick flags in the spot where
the monument once stood, and then went to visit the cemetery on the
edge of town, where the NC State UDC has decided to relocate the statue
to a "safer, less controversial location". There, we found that there
was already a perfectly beautiful monument for the Confederate
soldiers. We planted stick flags here, as well...
Before
we left, we also discovered that a flag pole, which once flew a
Confederate flag over these graves and this monument, had been taken up,
and was hiding in a large cedar tree, leaving the flag stand empty,
and NO Confederate flag flying.
Sickened,
outraged, angered and blood boiling despite being soaked and chilled
to the bone, we packed up and pulled out of the cemetery to head back
home to Richmond...
...NOT!!!!
The Virginia Flaggers were here!!!!
We
can only hope and pray someone in Reidsville will take on the task of
checking on the flag and making sure it flies EVERY DAY!
I
was interviewed by a reporter from Reidsville yesterday and she told me
that Mrs. Ezell, NC UDC President, told her that the reason they were
moving the Reidsville Confederate Monument to a cemetery was to protect
it from getting damaged
again. I hope someone who knows Mrs. Ezell will share with her what is happening in Selma, AL. Even as I am typing this, a Confederate hater has gathered 12,000 signatures on a petition to remove the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue from the cemetery there (what's left of it), AFTER it was moved there from its original home.
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/08/petition_drive_hopes_to_remove.html
again. I hope someone who knows Mrs. Ezell will share with her what is happening in Selma, AL. Even as I am typing this, a Confederate hater has gathered 12,000 signatures on a petition to remove the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue from the cemetery there (what's left of it), AFTER it was moved there from its original home.
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/08/petition_drive_hopes_to_remove.html
The
Confederate monument in Reidsville needs to go RIGHT BACK IN THE CENTER
OF TOWN, where the ladies of the UDC erected it 101 years ago! If it
gets damaged again, prosecute the offenders and keep rebuilding! If
these people see us giving up like this, it will be open season on our
monuments. Want to get rid of one? Just mow it down and "poof"...it
disappears. Our ancestors did not give up without a fight...why are we
so eager to?
It was an honor and a privilege for the Va Flaggers to travel to Reidsville to stand for those who are no longer standing, both human and marble, in this case. We will return. We urge all Southerners to support Jamie Funkhouser, the HPAC, and the NC Div, Sons of Confederate Veterans as they continue to fight the good fight and work to return the statue to its rightful home.
It was an honor and a privilege for the Va Flaggers to travel to Reidsville to stand for those who are no longer standing, both human and marble, in this case. We will return. We urge all Southerners to support Jamie Funkhouser, the HPAC, and the NC Div, Sons of Confederate Veterans as they continue to fight the good fight and work to return the statue to its rightful home.
Susan Hathaway
Va Flaggers
Va Flaggers
