Summary: Confederate flag wavers crash a black child’s birthday party.
Picture this: Your family is gathered on a sunny day, celebrating one of the kid’s birthdays. The decorations are flapping in the wind. The cake is studded with candles, waiting to be lit. The little one is really excited about being the center of attention.
Suddenly you hear a rumble as a group of pickup trucks zooms in, breaking up the party. There are panels of fabric waving from the truck beds. Are those–I actually can’t be seeing this–confederate flags?
That’s exactly what happened a few months ago in a suburb of Atlanta, when a bunch of Confederate-flag-waving zealots drove through a black child’s birthday party. The members of the self-proclaimed “Respect the Flag” group seemed to miss the meaning of the word “respect” as they barreled through the predominantly black neighborhood in seven pickup trucks.
Party-goers say the trucks pulled up to the house and started harassing the guests, yelling that they would “kill y’all ni**ers!” A number of the guests claim the men also brandished weapons. One of the guests caught part of the incident on video:
In the months since the incident, the local police department and the Attorney General of Douglas County have worked together, analyzing evidence from the video and talking to witnesses.
Earlier this week, a grand jury slapped 15 members of the flag group with indictments, charging them with violations of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act and making terroristic threats. If convicted, the men could spend up to 20 years in prison each.
The flag wavers are claiming the birthday party attendees started the violence by throwing rocks. The leader of the caravan, Levi Bush, claims Protect the Flag is not a hateful group. He says the group “drive[s] around and sell flags,” with the proceeds going to veterans and to purchasing new American flags for those in need. Bush claims the group was leaving a nearby event when they drove by the party and the guests started yelling at them.
The incident happened one month after the shooting of nine people at a historic black church in Charleston. The suspected gunman in the Charleston massacre, Dylann Roof, drove a car bearing a license plate with the Confederate symbol. He also posted a manifesto and photos of himself with a Confederate flag on Facebook.
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Sources: rawstory.com, NBC News
Photo: 11alive.com
Video: ModPopTV