With ‘Rebel’ flag in hand, Smiths group gathers at Civil War monument

With an American flag in one hand and the Confederate “Rebel” flag in another, nine young men from Smiths Station, Ala., converged on a Columbus memorial to the Civil War dead Saturday in the 700 block of Broadway.

Keith Porter said the group from Smiths Station was at the monument to support Southern heritage. “We are against racism,” he said.

Residents in the Historic District paid little attention to the men while they waved their flags and climbed atop the monument.

After a weekend of violent protests in Charlottesville, Va., the Columbus NAACP president Tonza Thomas sent a request to Mayor Teresa Tomlinson on Aug. 17 to remove all Confederate symbols including the one on Broadway. The request was denied.

The mayor noted the memorial was not erected by the city, county or state, but by family and friends of the dead. She said a state statute prohibits the removal of public monuments, which might apply to the one on Broadway.

Jacob Lee and Ronnie Richardson climbed atop the monument to fly their flags. Others in the group included Justin Daughtry, Chris Logan, Gary Owens, Dylan Sanders, Byron Hamm and Brandon Paul.

This story was originally published August 26, 2017 at 4:37 PM with the headline "With ‘Rebel’ flag in hand, Smiths group gathers at Civil War monument."