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Editorial: Hillsborough commission right to remove flag

 
The Hillsborough County Commission voted 7-0 to remove the Confederate flag, at right, and the rest of the historical flag display from County Center.
The Hillsborough County Commission voted 7-0 to remove the Confederate flag, at right, and the rest of the historical flag display from County Center.
Published July 15, 2015

The Hillsborough County Commission's decision to remove the Confederate flag from County Center and place it in a museum brings a compassionate end to the debate over the display of the flag in government buildings. This was a smart move by commissioners who appropriately balanced some constituents' desire to honor the flag's historical significance with the appropriate sensitivity to citizens who find the banner offensive.

Les Miller, the commission's lone African-American member, raised the issue of removing the Confederate flag at a meeting on Wednesday. After hearing passionate debate on both sides of the issue, the seven commissioners unanimously voted to bring the flag down and place it in the Tampa Bay History Center, a more appropriate setting. The Confederate flag long has hung in a display in County Center that features the banners of several nations that have at one time flown over Hillsborough. The entire display came down late Wednesday.

Debate over Confederate flag displays was reignited in June after photos of the man accused of killing nine people in a South Carolina church surfaced of him posing with the flag and other racist paraphernalia. South Carolina lawmakers ultimately voted to remove the flag from the grounds of the state Capitol.

Hillsborough County commissioners showed similar wisdom in electing to remove the flag from a government building, public property that is an inappropriate site for such a divisive symbol. Their reaction stands in stark contrast to officials in Marion County, who flip-flopped on the issue and ultimately came to the wrong conclusion by removing the flag from a county government building and later reinstalling it. Marion County should follow Hillsborough's lead and display the flag in an appropriate setting that is both mindful of its historical significance and respectful of citizens who accurately link it with slavery and racism.