Someone raised a variant of the Confederate flag on the pole at the Whiteville city entry.
The flag was removed by Whiteville Police, Emergency Services Director Hal Lowder said.
“This was not done by the city,” Lowder said. “This was trespassing, and whether or not it was meant as a prank, it is hurtful to the community and does not represent the city of Whiteville.” Lowder said he did not know exactly when the flag was raised, but city officials were notified this morning.
The “gateway” as it is called, is locate on the median on the U.S. 701 Bypass. Three flagpoles – one bearing the city flag, one the state, and the center the American flag – welcome travelers coming into the city. The flags were at half-staff in honor of former President Jimmy Carter, who died last week.
The vandals apparently removed the city flag, then hooked a Third National Confederate flag to the halyards for the American flag. The stars and stripes were then attached below the Confederate flag.
Bernard Dalton Dockery shared the photo on social media just after 10 a.m. Dockery organized the city’s first Unity Walk in the wake of the George Floyd Protests.
“If this is in Whiteville,” he said, “we can do better! Are these flags put up by the city of Whiteville?”
“Under no circumstances was this flag raised by the city,” Lowder said. “This was not authorized by the city. This was done by a vandal or vandals who were trespassing.”
The Third National Confederate flag, known as “the bloodstained banner,” was the last official national flag of the South, and the least used. It was not adopted until near the end of the War Between the States.
Lowder emphasized that the flag swap was not authorized by the city, and that Whiteville Police are investigating the incident. If a suspect can be identified, he said, they could face trespassing and other charges.
“This has no place in our city,” Lowder said.
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