Suspending flag protest a wise choice

In light of the toxic atmosphere across the country, in particular the recent racial violence in Charlottesville, Va., Lorain County residents and community leaders decided with good reason to suspend their protest of the sale of the Confederate flag at t

It’s unfortunate that the quiet demonstrations won’t take place during fair week, Aug. 21-27, but to err on the side of safety was the concern of the protesters, and we agree with them.

Fair Minded Coalition of Lorain County leaders on Aug. 14 spoke publicly about the racial violence in Charlottesville, Va., and why the Confederate flag should not be allowed at the Lorain County Fair.

The coalition planned to protest the presence of the flag at the county fair, but the racially charged violence Aug. 11 and 12 in Charlottesville, Va., changed that.

Jeanine Donaldson, coalition chairwoman, said the press conference was called to announce the group is reconsidering what they will doing in Wellington.

The group will not attend the fair.

Donaldson was concerned that something similar to what took place in Charlottesville could occur. Donaldson is correct. Lorain County Commissioner Matt Lundy, who attended the news conference and also called for the ban of the Confederate flag at the county fair, said in video footage and photographs from Charlottesville, there was one constant and that was the Confederate flag.

Lundy said the flag clearly is a symbol of hate, not love, and it’s clearly is a divisive symbol and not one used to unite.

And Lundy is correct when he says Lorain County is proud of its history and heritage, including that of Underground Railroad and as the International City.

Lundy said, “This flag does not represent the family values of Lorain County families. Our families embrace diversity and we want all, and I stress all, to feel welcomed in this county and at the county fair. We want our neighbors treated with dignity and respect.”

Other speakers who echoed comments from Donaldson and Lundy included: Lorain police Chief Cel Rivera; Lorain City Councilman Angel Arroyo Jr.; Lorain County Urban League President and Chief Executive Officer Frank Whitfield; and David Ashenhurst, a former Oberlin councilman and a member of the Lorain County Board of Mental Health.

In light of the violence in Virginia, Rivera said it is important to reflect on what the United States means as a country. He asked the fair board and vendors to pay respect to the victims of Virginia by voluntarily not selling the flag this year, then having a community discussion about the issue in the next year.

However, as a form of free speech, people have a right to fly the flag and sell Confederate-related items.

Let’s be clear here: the Confederate flag has no place in our society at the Lorain County Fair.

We’d like to see it go away just as South Carolina removed it from its statehouse and monuments, and statues erected to Confederate leaders recently have been removed from other locations.

It’s also an unfortunate that the Lorain County Fair Board is allowing the sale of Confederate-related items, but it has that fundamental right.

Lorain County Fair Board member Kim Meyers did not attend the press conference but stressed the fair does not take its lead from the Ohio State Fair, which banned the sale of the Confederate flag after the June 2015 murders by white supremacist Dylann Roof at Emanuel A.M.E. Church in South Carolina.

The Lorain County Fair Board does have a policy about objectionable materials at the fair. However, the flag was sold at the fair for years with no complaints until Lundy began his protests in 2015.

Meyers said he doesn’t believe there have been any problem with vendors peddling the flag and the board decided it’s not harmful.

If items were banned because someone did not like them, he said, there would be nothing at the fair. He cited examples such as gay pride flags and members of Gideons International handing out copies of the Bible, two things that some people might object to but that are allowed.

Instead of protesting outside of the fairgrounds, the Fair Minded Coalition will convene and invite the community to discuss the issue of hate at Wellington United Methodist Church during fair week. A time has yet to be set.

Fair Minded Coalition leaders are right to suspend the flag protest at this time.

But they don’t plan to back down from ridding the community of hate, and that’s a good thing.