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Resident urges Pulaski County to block Confederate flag at downtown event on taxpayer property
Summary
A local advocate told the fiscal court she and members of the Black community feel threatened by an upcoming event that will display the Confederate flag on county-owned downtown property and asked county leaders not to partner with or endorse the event.
Bailey Patterson, identifying herself as a local advocate, told the Pulaski County Fiscal Court that she and other community members are "deeply disappointed" the county is partnering to support an event she said will display the Confederate flag on taxpayer property.
Patterson said she spoke on behalf of others who could not attend and asked the court to consider the message the county sends to Black residents. "The Confederate flag is a symbol of the regime that enslaved black people as chattel," she said. "Please think deeply about the message you were sending to the black community members you serve."
Patterson asked the court not to let nostalgia for the event overshadow present-day concerns about intimidation and exclusion. She said photographs and videos showing the Confederate flag on downtown taxpayer-owned property would be broadly disseminated and could harm efforts to build a community where "everyone feels safe."
Court response: The fiscal court did not take formal action on the remarks during the meeting. After public comment concluded, the judge moved to adjourn.
Context: Patterson said she was speaking in relation to an upcoming Saturday event; the court did not provide details at the meeting about the event organizer or the county's role beyond what Patterson described.
