Latest Headlines
- Homeowner Reportedly Opens Fire On Known Attackers In Bratt Assault
- FPL Seeks To Raise Bills For All Of 2025 To Cover Hurricane Costs; Here’s How Much
- Cat Country 98.7 Is The 2024 CMA Radio Station Of The Year (With Gallery)
- Gonzalez Man Gets Two Life Sentences For Abusing Children
- ECUA Employee Golf Tournament Raises $10K For Children’s Hospital
- Creative Painting: Squeegee Art Saturday At Century Library
- Eagles Vs. Eagles: Ernest Ward Middle Falls To W.S. Neal
- Cantonment Man Sentenced To 25 Years For Child Sex Abuse
- One Airlifted After Highway 97 Rear End Crash
- Semi, Pickup Crash Closes Highway 29 For Hours In Cantonment
Escambia Votes To Permanently Replace Confederate Flag
July 8, 2015
No version of the Confederate flag will fly over Escambia County buildings, following a unanimous vote Tuesday night by the Escambia County commission. It will be replaced with the state flag of Florida permanently.
The county was following a resolution that called for the county to mirror the five-flag displays as flown by the city of Pensacola. So the county followed when Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward ordered the Confederate flag replace by the State of Florida flag on June 25. But commissioner decided to act on their own and not be bound by any future flag decisions of the city.
Scores of residents — most against flying the Confederate flag — addressed the commission for over two hours Tuesday night.
Any display of the five-flags at county owned buildings, such as the Pensacola Bay Center, will now consist of the America, Florida, British, Spanish and French flags.
Comments
62 Responses to “Escambia Votes To Permanently Replace Confederate Flag”
What happened to freedom of speech? Our leftist communist government is in control..so we are not a free country anymore..
@Robert Jenkins
By the way, do you like our Blue Angels ?
If i believed in the devil, their name might offend me. Would you support a name change ? And if i were fat, i may find Fat Alberts name offensive. Would you support changing it to Slightly Overweight Albert ? Sounds stupid huh ?
Racism is the downfall of mankind not just America all of our day will come nobody is superior to the next meaning race sex religion are whatever Armageddon is near!!!….!.!..!!..
Re: mr jenkins, i think when you say it was the largest treasonist uprising against this country in history, you forget that 13 states rebelled less than 100 years before that mostly from the northern portion of our country against england which at the time WAS our country. It was called the revolutionary war. I had relatives that fought in that one too. We one that one. We are batting 500 in my book.
Why are they not removing the other flags? It was slave ships flying the American, British, Spainish, and French flags that went out to capture slaves and bring them to this country.
@Robert Jenkins
I don’t. I am not proud to be American at all anymore. Heck, i’m not even proud to say i’m from Molino anymore. If i had the resourses, i’d live in the Canadian wilderness somewhere, away from this brainwashed sick society who worship the image of the beast.
This entire issue is a complete joke. But I’ve lowered my expectations of good ole ‘Merica. What else would you expect from a country that worships a high paid prostitute (Kim Kardashian) with a step dad who’s praised because he ‘discovered’ he thinks he’s a woman; a country that murders unborn babies wholesale; that has attempted to re-define nature itself with it’s ‘marriage’ laws; let’s a paltry, purpetually offended 3.8% of the population dictate to the other 96%, etc.
The flag debate is only a symptom of what is wrong with the USA. We’re heading down a path that if not quickly changed, will result in the fall of the American Empire. It happened to Rome, Greece, Germany, and Japan. Our time is coming.
Take the flag down. Take them all down. America doesn’t stand for anything these days.
Escambia DID NOT vote on this the idiot commissioners did, I for one am sick of Political Correctness crap.
Move on get over it. It is wat it is theres more things going on than worrying about what FLAG to fly. Its 2015 folks new world.
The past is the past. It is time for the media to stop inciting violence and the division between our people just to make a buck. It is time for people (who by the way were never slaves nor slave-owners) to get beyond the past and reach for the future. Taking a flag down will not stop this. It is only a flag with very limited abilities. Only people who embrace each other and let the past stay in the past will ever have any true happiness in this life. We are all people and all Americans. What difference does it make what color, race, ethnicity, or religion you are? We are all people who deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. We are all people who need to step up and say enough is enough and take charge of our lives by working toward being responsible, informed citizens, responsible for ourselves and our actions, responsible for our own livelihood, responsible for our children and families and letting the past become the past. I would hazard a guess that most of us have no idea what blood flows through our veins so why not just be Americans. And stop creating a reason to hate one another.
You can’t claim to be a proud, patriotic American while you honor the flag of the largest treasonous uprising against this country in our history.
Taking down the flag is whats offensive. Are we seriously just going to erase our history and what those men fought for?? I tell you, we have some stupid people running this place.
@Shirley
YOU ARE SO RIGHT!!!
Some of these comments are ludicrous! Just because there are more hurtful things going on in the world doesn’t make this unimportant. The flag was/is being used for racist activities. You can take slavery out of the equation. I understand that it is a part of history. But when it is used in hateful, hurtful and deadly activities it should be taken down. The pain is still there. It is still being used to intimidate and harass people. Why can’t you see that?
The ironic thing is those barking the loudest about the Confederate flag are still in slavery, it is just to different masters now.
Removing it doesn’t bother me one way or another, but one thing that is very dangerous and that is acting on emotion, rather than fact, or better yet dealing with the root of the matter.
And what is very sad is that all the deaths of those Christians at that black church got FAR less news coverage than that thugg Michael Brown.
@ Scott
Define “OUR” country. I am somewhat certain it will not represent America.
It wouldn’t have mattered if Florida voters could have voted to keep the flag flying or not. We voted against same sex marriage and every single Florida voter was told by the Federalist “your vote doesn’t count”. States rights and “We the people” no longer exist.
The actions of both the City of Pensacola and the BOCC to remove the Confederate Flag have left me ashamed to say I was born in Pensacola. The flag that they were in such a hurry to remove was NOT the Battle Flag that the insane kid was pictured with but the National Flag of the Confederacy at the time.
@Citizen
Very well put. Thank you
This agenda to remove the Confederate Flag is WRONG AND IGNORANT!
True History of the Civil War /Meaning of the Confederate Flag
-The South did not ask for or initiate the Civil War….
-In 1850 Henry Clay proposed “The Great Compromise”. It would have ended slavery by 1865. The plan was approved unanimously by Southern states and rejected by the North.
-In February of 1861, the South agreed to a negotiated compromise due to the “Peace Conference”: after the South agreed, The Federal Government motivated Northern States to rescind their own offers of Compromise.
That pushed for secession.
Before a single shot was fired, Abraham Lincoln approached Robert E. Lee with the offer to lead the Union Army in a war against the South.
Having seceded, which was perfectly legal within a voluntary Republic, South Carolina asked President James Buchanan in December 1860 to withdraw troops from South Carolina. It was NOT UNTIL AFTER Union troops seized Fort Sumter that the Confederate Army fired on it.
The war was about the right of each state to govern themselves, and the resources of the South.
If you still think that the Civil War was about slavery, ask yourself why Abraham Lincoln waited until 1863 two years after the war began to sign the Emancipation Proclamation.
The flag was designed to be carried in battle between armies. But after the war it became a symbol of resolve and determination to Southerners.
For decades, the South was little more than an “occupied territory” and was ransacked by appointed leaders from the north and carpetbaggers who hindered reconstruction while making themselves wealthy.
The flag is a reminder of a war that no Southerner wanted, and the resolve to rebuild their lives from nothing after their states were invaded, land was seized, crops and livestock destroyed, and heritage desecrated.
If you don’t understand that, then maybe you shouldn’t try to tell a southerner what his flag stands for.
Why not just educate themselves and others as well? Why are our elected officials bowing to political correctness? This and bowing to the “opinion” of 5 supreme court “lawyers,” will surely speed up the loss of what freedoms we have left. And this is the way it has been in Germany and other countries that bowed to tyranny. And, every country that gave up their guns, not only gave up their freedoms, but may lost their lives as well in many of these countries. It is the same o same o, and humans just keep on falling for it over and over again. People are too busy to study, and apparently many nowadays, did not learn about our Constitution in school. Soon it will be good for nothing but toilet paper. It has begun and great will be our fall if people do not turn to God. It is written that the nations that forget God shall be turned into hell. :’(
@harrison, louise
Mr. May is doing an excellent job he was not along voting against the flag it was five county commissioners voted.
It was a unanimous vote 5-0,
Mr. May is a county commissioner & did vote against the flag.
My My how times have changed.. Nothing suprises me anymore..as Buford T Justice said in Smokie and the Bandit, “What’s the world coming to..”
As I have stated before, the black “Buffalo Soldiers,” fighting under the United States flag, fought the native Americans throughout the west. The “Indians” were herded into encampments, and suffer to this day. How long will it be before the American Indian tribes are denied the use of their tribal dress and traditions, in festivals and powwows, on government property, only because they fought against an aggressor, the United States of America?
I donot know how to respond to the flag issue i had two ancestors who fought for the south and neither owned a slave they were 14 and 16 yr old so the flag means something to me some people dont like it I DONT LIKE THE RAINBOW FLAG AND I DONT LIKE THE FLAG ISIS HAS I ALSO DONT LIKE SEEING SOMEONE WITH THEIR UNDERWEAR SHOWING but to each there own as for the C C remember the langly bell deal the 4 cent gas tax pensacola is the city of 5 flags so if we take one lets take the other 3 and leave tha AMERICA flag then we can become just another city that gives into the demands of a minority and punishes the majority REMEMBER THIS WHEN YOU VOTE NEXT TIME
“Any display of the five-flags at county owned buildings…will now consist of the America, Florida, British, Spanish and French flags.”
Strange. Four of those flags were responsible for the 12 million slaves brought across the Atlantic.
And the flag they brought down never flew over a slave ship.
I guess you can’t expect politicians to know history.
Wendell, sorry to say, We were a united country. No longer.
Where is the ACLU? Individual rights are being violated here, so where are the ACLU representatives.
Thank you Mr. Lamb, everyone has the right to their opions and I agree with yours. The man held a flag and a weapon I haven’t seen gun’s banned. And I own 1 or 2 weapons. Sorry tired of hearing how racist I am because I believe in having my FLAGS(American also)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Confederate flag is a symbol of times past, a memory and heritage for many. Those getting upset about it’s past symbolism is pure ridiculous. Former Yankee who know and has called the south home for 15-20 years it means memories and a time to pause and reflect.
@Louise & Jason……Hatred is not inherited, it is learned
@Chris…….Seek HELP
Each one of the flags that hang over Escambia county has a tainted past. and yes slavery was practiced under each of these flags. The Spanish were a bunch of mass murders when they came to the new world. The English were the imperialist that thought they were better than anyone else and thought nothing of forcing people into slavery so they could profit from the labor. The good ole red White and blue , that I love and respect, flew over our state during the Indian wars when native Floridians were being forced off land they had lived on for generations, but they weren’t white so they were not deserving of the land. The French were as brutal as the Spanish. So let’s just not fly a flag . Pensacola can be the City of 5 poles. Let’s ignore history and maybe just maybe we will repeat it. We can return to the days of murdering people by the masses and enslaving other. I for one say no, each of these flags need to stay atop the poles as a testament of where we have been and how far we have come, good times and bad.
Ok, you ask todays young adults what the Confederate flag represents and just listen to what they have to say. Everyone that can, please look at the reason behind the civil war and the flag before posting. This started due to industry. If the deciding factors dont want to fly the confederate battle flag, then why are they flying the other flags of countries that tried to take America’s freedom? Freedom comes in all colors and not just one kind of people! Take em all down but one if they are so inclined. My word people. All you that are so against this, get educated.
@Scott
I won’t be ready, i am ready. Cannot wait for the grocery and gas trucks to stop. Breakdown of society. Those who aren’t raped, beaten, or killed will die of starvation. Me, i’ll be eating lovely.
@RTR
Your insane. Symbol of hate. The Civil War was not about slavery, but money. The north couldn’t compete. We (southerners) were making money hand over fist. We had already started freeing slaves loooooong before the north. In ol Abe Lincolns own words…..”Our republican system was meant for a homogeneous people. As long as the blacks continue to
live with the whites they constitute a threat to the national life. Family life may also collapse and the increase of mixed breed bastards may someday challenge the supremacy of the white man.” He’s said much more true (worse for some) things depending on who you are. That day he spoke of has come and gone long ago. Further, in school they teach he freed the slaves and what a good guy he was. Just like Obama, he didn’t care about you either. My son is now homeschooled after coming home one February day talking about this “great king” (MLK).
Pulled him out immediately. They failed to show in the movie he was a whoremonger and on the day he was shot he was in a motel room with a woman not his wife.
Nomatter. My God is on his way. I shall see it in my lifetime and all this will not matter anyway. Soon your own government will incarcerate you to “teach you” and it’ll be easy to choose a side for most of you. You’ve been programmed since birth with everything media. Think on it some…but not too long. Theres not much time.
We’re a united country. Period. It doesn’t need to fly above government buildings. It’s not illegal to fly it yourself and it will never be forgotten; it’s part of history. No matter what it means to you, keep in mind your’re not the only person in the world who has an opinion, and it recalls a bad time in history to many. Can you fly it? Sure. Is it a little stubborn and selfish to say your interpretation means more than people who disagree? You bet. Sometimes you do things you don’t necessarily agree with or don’t want to do in order to show respect for your fellow man. The Gadsen flag is a better symbol of opposition to tyrannical government than anything else; it was the original rebel flag of our country, AND there are no negative connotations to it. Why keep old wounds open? It benefits nobody.
There are more things in life to get upset about like for instant the 18 month old toddler accidentally drowning in the family pool or the homeless do not have any where to live or food to eat, children being molested by some crazy sick person. Elderly being victimized by some sick person. People stopped it, a flag only represent the southern state stop with the madness. those people I mention are much alive accept for the toddler died on the fourth of July. May the good lord keep and comfort both parent and there family. Get Jesus and let go of hatred or prejudice. Mr. May is doing a excellent job he was not along voting against the flag it was five County Commissioners voted. And the young man shot those nine people in the church definitely need Jesus as well.
@Wally
How do you know you’re in the majority? Has there been a vote taken?
@Scott
What is “our” country? Who do you think it belongs to?
The vote does not make it permanent.
It is what it is until the next vote.
If the Confederate flag supporters would aim their objections towards hate groups that use the same flags to represent themselves, this could be reversed.
But as long as you allow the KKK and others to use said flags, they will continue to tarnish in the general public’s mind.
They will probably vote to raise the rainbow flag to show support of the gays and lesbians that come down here on Memorial day and trash our beaches. I am getting sick of it all. The time will come to take back OUR country, will you be ready?
I thought the commissioners were suppose to represent the majority of the people in Escambia county. Maybe it is time for a new set of commissioners. Want to guess which way I vote next time?
The media continuously reports that the removal of the Confederate flag was due the actions of Dylann Roof and his being pictured with the Confederate flag prior to the shooting at the AME Church. However, they all seem to ignore that Dylann Roof was also pictured standing on an American flag as well as being pictured burning the American flag.
The media,has consistently chosen to bait people when reporting news updates, by routinely including the pictures of Roof and the Confederate flag. In an online article yesterday with the Huffington Post, they included 3 pictures of Roof with the Confederate flag and a single picture of Roof standing on the American flag….but they conveniently failed to include the picture of him with the burning American flag.
The media didnt get their desired story of protesters, looting, and burning following the shooting. Therefore they latched on to the ideology that the Confederate flag was responsible. The media continues to fan the flames of this story as if banning the Confederate flag will remove the hatred from a persons soul. Dont blame a flag, blame the person who committed the crime.
I say its time to vote them out, anyone that knows history, and actually knows history realizes that the confederate flag has nothing to do with slavery dont mind it flying. I am putting mine up this weekend right beside my american flag.
Shame they didn’t vote to PERMANENTLY REPLACE Lumon May, he is more of a disgrace to Pensacola than the flag.
Most countries are destroyed from within. We are witnessing our destruction with each passing day and with every right suppressed and with each bit of history taken away. The current administration and the liberal media have done so much to divide this country and the sheeple just go along with it.
The Chamber of Commerce, The DIB, The Tourista Bureau will have to come up with a name to replace The Fiesta of Five Flags. I can only imagine the genius thinking involved with this task.
No more visits by The Spanish Ship El Cano, no more reenactments representing the flags under which Pensacola and Escambia County have been under.
While at it, be sure to ban the Flag with the Single White Star on the blue background, that was the flag the Republic of West Florida…check it out! It was adopted as The Bonnie Blue Flag.
Of course there is always The Rainbow Flag or The Mexican Flag or The Puerto Rican Flag or just NO FLAG to represent any historical, cultural events.
Revisionists rewriting tradition and history all at one time and OUR Elected officials
caving in to be politically correct.
Take a long look in a mirror.
Thank you to the county commissioners. Heritage can be preserved without a flag flying at government buildings that has become a symbol for racism for many. For those that support the flag, feel free to fly it at your private residence, on your car, or your place of business.
Right on Wendell. It is time to move on. That symbol of hate is not part of my heritage.
What’s next — A unanimous vote for the RAINBOW FLAG???
The Commissioner has lost any future vote he may have gotten from me.
I have a long memory!!!
(I still think we would be better off if the northern half of Escambia CO. was made into a SEPARATE COUNTY — With a new Commissioner!!!)
I have had enough of the racist agenda against the confederate flag and the victim mentality of certain ethnic groups.
Keep the posts coming! I like “country girls” comments!
PENSACOLA known for” CITY OF FIVE FLAGS”
Now….. CITY OF ONE FLAG….. WHITE FLAG FOR SURRENDER! cowardice!
I AM A RETIRED AIR FORCE MEMBER., FOUGHT AND WAS WOUNDED,ON DUTY FOR MY COUNTRY. Many Escambia Countians did the same. Some bore the ultimate sacrifice, including my classmates, Fred Sheffield, Kenny Hatch, Jeff Hughes and possibly others.
THE AMERICAN FLAG FLEW WHILE SLAVERY WAS IN EFFECT(BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR. should WE NOW REMOVE IT TOO? The idiot that shot up the church was not just cause for flag removal! There are more idiots out there with other causes to fight Shall we remove every symbol they use as they cause turmoil?
What about some of the red green white or other things those that want to stir strife between blacks and whites… When will they too be banned!
How about Jesse Jackson or loosely the Rev, Sharpton and a few others that show up at every issue that they can help stir the black/white issue. Ban them from showing up at these marches!
Check ID and send those not living in the community affected packing!
Anyone remember back in July of 2014 the 2 bleached out US flags that appeared on the Brooklyn Bridge? Maybe that will be the new normal.
Amazing the speed that things flowed at following the recent tragedy in South Carolina. Too bad we can’t get roads, bridges and drainage voted on and “fixed” as quickly.
Well I think that they should not stop their they should take all the flags down except the Americam flag don’t be one sided.
They should put it to a popular vote.
Its a crying shame that none of our polititians have the guts to stand strong against the bullying of a few super sensative individuals.
Guess I will not be voting for, or supporting these people.
Pensacola…The city of 4 Flags.
Pensacola, the City of Five Flags….minus 3…What’s next??
A white, blank flag…..of surrender.
Where is the backbone and heritage and history that brought us here??
Wiped away for someone’s touchy feelings????
What a sad situation…and yet, there are those who will trample, disrespect and desecrate the American Flag….and we do nothing!!!
IF THE PERSON HOLDING THE CONFEDERATE FLAG IN SC WOULD HAVE
BEEN HOLDING THE AMERICAN FLAG WOULD WE HAVE TO TAKE OUR
AMERICAN FLAG DOWN. THE FLAG HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT IS
GOING ON NOW IT COMES FROM WHAT YOU ARE TAUGHT AND WHAT
IS IN YOUR HEART.IF YOU ARE TAUGHT RIGHT FROM WRONG AND QUIT
LAUGHING ATWHAT THE SMALL KIDS SAY THAT THEY PICK UP FROM OTHERS THEN AS THEY GROW UP THERE WOULD NOT BE AS MUCH
GOING ON AS IT IS.
let it fly. will not vote for and will work against anyone voting for this.
Sad that the council chose to disrespect the actual history of the flag and be swayed into listening to all the bias racial crap. Obviously no one did any research as to why the flag was flown.
Once again our society has placed the blame on nothing more then a materiel object just like the firearms bans going on throughout the country.
These objects caused no injuries or deaths by themselves.
It’s time to start judging the ones using the objects and start raising our younger adults in this country to RESPECT..
I find it a bit distasteful that the media is all about writing negative articles about the Confederate Flag but do little coverage about the person who was responsible for the horrendous deaths of those innocent church group. He caused the deaths NOT THE FLAG.
Why didn’t someone that knew him step forward and get him help or at lest let the authorities know of his plans. The few articles I did see about him friends and even family knew he had an agenda. They to should be held accountable.
But no it’s much easier to ban a historical flag that has meaning to many southerners.
People are so silly about some stuff. Its like an insane fad or something. What sheep we are.
The flag is part of our heritage. Leave it alone. If anything, it shows the progress that has been made. Count the blessings and tend to issues that are important and affects us today,
More spineless cowardly politicians. Remember them at the polls!
I received a good education from Cottage Hill school, Jim Allen, Tate(66 Aggie). PJC and Troy State. In Florida History, I learned that the Civil war was fought between the North and the South over States Rights. This conflict is still being in the limelight today. The federal government still tries to imposes its authority over state rights. Slavery was already on its way out. Abe Lincoln and many Northern aristocrats owned slaves. Owning a slave was expensive and time consuming. It, for lack of a better way to describe it was like having more livestock to feel, care and house or protect. No I am not calling Blacks Livestock! There were good slave owners that treated their slaves with dignity and there were the other not so good kind.. The invent of the cotton picker and the cotton gin made slavery obsolete. Both ,BTW, were invented by BLACK MEN. Remember that the North sent “Carpet Baggers” to the South to rape, pilfer and plunder the Southerners.
The Confederate Flag was commissioned to represent the southern states
as the American flag did for the Federal Govt..Before the war the American Flag could be called a “slavery” flag!
To me the Confederate flag only represents my proud heritage of being born a southerner! LEAVE IT ALON E! JI have no regard for Slavery . There are more important battles that need fourth! Quit being sooo sensitive!
Good. We are ready for that old rag to come down. Even Robert E. Lee opposed flying it; it’s time to move on.
The County Commissioners just lost my support…….