Residents rally to remove state flag and confederate statue

A group of residents are rallying to remove the confederate statue that stands in front of the Lauderdale County courthouse. They’re also pushing for the county to stop flying the Mississippi state flag bearing the confederate emblem. The group says the flag and statue stand as reminders of hate and therefore should be removed.

“Every time you see the Neo-nazis, the Klu Klux Klan, the Arian brotherhood, they fly this flag. Even Dylan Ruth, the young guy whole killed the nine people in South Carolina. He flew this flag with pride. That’s why we want this flag removed. If we want to get another symbol to represent all of Mississippi, we should come together to get that symbol. But right now, we want this flag removed,” said Sam Bell.

Even though there are Mississippi laws that protect historical monuments, at least five cities have voted to stop flying the state flag, including Hattiesburg, Clarksdale, and Columbus. At least eight universities have removed the flag from their campuses, including Mississippi State and Ole Miss.