Cafe quietly moves Ga. flag with Rebel emblem

When the OK Cafe reopened late last year after a devastating fire, its owners decided to keep a carved wood rendering of the former state flag that featured the Confederate battle emblem despite calls to take it down. Sometime in the past few weeks, though, the revered Atlanta eatery quietly moved the controversial flag to a less prominent spot.

From Tony Wilbert’s Skyline Views blog:

With little fanfare or media coverage, OK Cafe quietly replaced the large artwork of the former Georgia state flag (the one with the Confederate battle emblem) with the “Betsy Ross” American flag.

But don’t worry Trump supporters, the former Georgia flag still hangs, though in a less-conspicuous spot near the cafe’s Money Tree. The artwork flies above the counter seating on the back-end of the restaurant near the takeout area.

For a time last year, the fight over the restaurant’s flag became a somewhat obscure front in the larger debate over the placement of Civil War symbols in modern-day Georgia that has led Gov. Nathan Deal to strike the names of two controversial holidays — Confederate Memorial Day and Robert E. Lee’s birthday — and push a redesign of a state-sponsored license plate with the Rebel emblem.

State Sen. Vincent Fort, the chamber’s No. 2 Democrat, had urged the restaurant to take down the carving, and he tried to rally business leaders to echo his call. Susan DeRose, the restaurant’s owner, had said the flag is part of her history “and my history has absolutely nothing to do with prejudice against anyone.”

Fort said Wednesday that the move did little to quell his concerns.

“I still believe it’s inappropriate. By moving it to a less prominent place, they’re acknowledging it’s inappropriate,” Fort said. “But they need to remove it altogether. It’s stunning that a restaurant in Atlanta in 2016 displays a symbol of slavery and hate.” — GREG BLUESTEIN

Isakson sees support for mass transit

As the weekend broke, U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson dropped a bit of news that, in a different climate, would These are some of the many items readers could find this past week in the Political Insider blog on AJC.com. Look there for breaking news and to gain insight about Georgia’s political scene. have dominated the cycle.

After a breakfast address to local business leaders in Sandy Springs, the Republican incumbent was going one on one with an express lane of reporters. The last asked him about transportation in metro Atlanta. The future of rail in particular.

“Mass transit is a part of the puzzle. It’s not the endall solution. It’s certainly part of the solution,” Isakson began. “You can’t pave enough lanes to solve the problem.”

That sentiment alone, coming in the middle of a general election campaign, would be worth citing as an example of how much Republican thought has changed on the topic in just a few short years.

But Isakson went a step further and seemed to take note of the recent survival of state Sen. Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta, who beat back a primary challenge after sponsoring a bill that would have permitted MARTA to send a rail line across the Chattahoochee River and deep into north Fulton County. Said Isakson:

“North of the North Springs station — there’s been lots of talk about taking MARTA to Milton. Voters are there. They would be willing to do it. It would have to be a heavy rail line. There is a BRT — bus rapid transit — proposal involved in that, where you would use dedicated lanes instead of heavy rail traffic, which is a lot more expenses.”

Why is this important? In the end, Beach’s bill to expand MARTA rail was turned aside. The legislation that passed only permits expansion within the confines of the city of Atlanta proper — subject to a November referendum.

But if/when the topic returns to north Fulton, much federal funding would be involved. That would require an advocate in Washington. Isakson just raised his hand.