The recent nationwide controversy of whether or not the confederate flag should continue to fly has sparked mixed reactions.
Saturday afternoon, hundreds of residents from across the the Big Country came together and rallied in support of the rebel flag.
Blaring music, crowds of people, and waving of confederate flags were all part of the rally that took place at the Wal-Mart on the south side of town.
The rally was in response to the recent talk of the confederate flag being banned.
“It is not about race,it is not about color, creed, region. It’s about heritage and sure somewhere down the line everyone is related to someone who fought in the confederacy,”says Albert Marple, Rally Coordinator.
Other people feel differently about sporting the stars and bars.
“I have quite a few black friends and I wouldn’t want to wear a confederate cap over to their house if I was invited to dinner or something, because I would not want them to think it was a representation of me being prejudice,” says Joe Stephens, of the Merkel Museum.
Opponents of the flag are saying it belongs in a museum and should not be flown or worn.
The confederate flag has been a point of controversy since the shooting in Charleston. The South Carolina state capitol took down their flag and Wal-Mart announced they will no longer be selling merchandise with stars and bars.
The rally started at the K-Mart off of South First Street. Then the group proceeded to the Wal-Mart parking lot, where they stayed until Wal-Mart management had police officers ask them to leave.
(Information from BigCountryHomepage.com)
