Will Harrison County take down state flag, move Confederate statue? Here is what’s next
Inspired by Gulfport’s action Tuesday, Harrison County Supervisor Kent Jones has initiated a move to take down the state flag with its Confederate emblem from county properties, move a Confederate monument from the Gulfport courthouse grounds, and ask the state Legislature to change the state flag.
After impassioned pleas from residents and remarks by Gulfport City Council members, the council voted unanimously Tuesday to remove the state flag from city properties. It was down before the meeting ended.
Jones said he hopes supervisors will support his proposals and remove the state flag from county properties July 6 after they vote on resolutions being prepared by board attorney Tim Holleman.
The resolutions also will address relocating the Confederate monument, although a change to state law could be required, and asking the Legislature to approve a new state flag.
A law the legislature passed in 2004 says monuments to “the War Between the States” can’t be altered or moved unless a “more suitable location” is found. Attorney generals’ opinions interpret the law to mean such monuments must remain on public property.
Gulfport, Biloxi leading on state flag removal
Biloxi Mayor Andrew “Fofo” Gilich had that city’s state flag taken down in mid-2015.
“I was highly encouraged by Gulfport,” said Jones, a former Biloxi police officer. “The second largest city in the state, they’re a progressive city with a progressive mayor. They created a stepping stone for the rest of the Coast, the city of Gulfport as well as Biloxi.
“I just think the two cities have taken the initiative on the Coast that we want to move forward and we no longer want to be divided. And I just hope it will help me with the supervisors and they will do the same or similar.”
Supervisors in the past have resisted efforts to remove Confederate symbols. The Eight Flags Display in a prominent spot on the beach came down not because of protests and even a 77-day sit-in but because Hurricane Katrina washed it away in 2005.
Jones is hopeful supervisors will be inspired by the momentum across the South to remove relics of the Confederacy after George Floyd died under a police officer’s knee in Minneapolis. A shop owner had called police claiming that Floyd paid for cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill.
