BENTON, Ky. — A local official in Kentucky has ordered the removal of a Confederate flag outside a county courthouse that has drawn criticism for weeks since its recent placement there.
According to The Paducah Sun, Marshall County Judge-Executive Kevin Neal said Friday the intent in displaying the flag wasn’t to offend anyone, although many expressed that was the unintended effect.
“We value the thoughts and opinions of our citizens when dealing with controversial issues which has led us to taking down the flags (Friday) and letting the Fiscal Court discuss the proper location,” Neal said in the statement Friday.
County Commissioner Justin Lamb has said members of the local Sons of Confederate Veterans paid for the flag and raised it in front of the building in Benton. The flag aimed to recognize April as Confederate History Month, Lamb said.
For years, local and state governments have hotly debated — and often relocated — many Confederate-era flags and other monuments from sites around the U.S. Critics say the Confederate flag is a racist symbol, recalling past discrimination and slavery. Supporters say such symbols merely reflect Southern history.
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