Minutes 05-15-2018 - Laserfiche WebLink

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13 Center designated hate group, and its sole purpose is to perpetuate the lost cause mythology of neo-confederate culture, and intimidate people of color. He said these massive flags do just that. Katherine Walker said she was born and bred in Orange County, and her roots run deep. She said she and her family are Americans, and she fully supports the adoption of the ordinance text amendment. She said it clarifies rules, is content neutral, and there is no rational reason for delay. She said the Confederate movement has been a growing threat to the American way of life, and the battle flag was not popular at the end of the civil war, but has become a symbol to encourage violence and oppression after the release of the film The Birth of a Nation. She said this is not a fight for heritage, but a fight for human decency. Chuck W illingham said he is a resident of Orange County, and a member of the Hate Free Schools coalition. He said the proposed text amendment is content neutral, and balances free speech and property rights of neighbors. He said the argument of southern pride and freedom of speech ignores race. He said the Confederate flag is used as a hate symbol by white supremacists, and the Confederate leaders supported slavery. He said the harm of slavery continues to affect all aspects of life for African Americans, and people of color. He said America will not be great until race is no longer a predictor of outcomes. He thanked the Board for updating the Unified Development Ordinance. Kathy Arab said the County does not need uniformity of flags, and diversity and individualism are hallmarks of this nation and County. She said erasing history, tearing down statues, and removing flags will not help to avoid the mistakes of the past. She said she would never display a Confederate flag, and much of southern history is shameful, but society has overcome the sins of the past, yet is not receiving credit for it. She said modern day white supremacists are in the minority, and it is completely unfair to law abiding, fair minded citizens to be punished because of a few white supremacists. She said personal property is indeed protected by the constitution, as is freedom of expression. She said flags are decorative, and the government has no business poking around or photographing decorations in one’s home, or on one’s property. She said flags are an expression of free speech, and personal style is not to be restricted unless one lives in a neighborhood with guidelines created by the residents of said neighborhood, to which all residents have agreed to abide through conversation and consensus. She said when they purchased their home over twenty years ago, the home came with a two-story flagpole cemented into the ground. She does not want to have to remove this, and the only flag she has ever flown from it is the stars and stripes. She said she does not see why the Commissioners care about regulating the height of her flagpole should an act of nature knock it down, and it need replacing. She said it sounds like the only reason the Commissioners are acting is because someone could not handle what someone else was doing on their own private property. She said she may not like it either, but it is not her property. She said the Commissioners have more important things to be working on than this issue. She recommended a fourth option be added to the recommendation: table this tedious, cumbersome, ridiculous, and unnecessary proposal. She said this proposed amendment is a slippery slope, which will chip away at the constitution. She said if free speech is not unlimited, then the stars and stripes should not be allowed to be burned, which it is frequently. She said government overreach is more harmful than a painted piece of fabric hanging around. David Carpenter said laws in general are usually blunt instruments, and are crafted in response to specific situations, and represent an attempt to resolve a problem or provide for particular needs. He said even in best case scenarios laws do not always work in the ways they were intended. He said the regulations being considered today are an attempt to address the problem of some people’s responses to seeing a Confederate flag. He said this is not an attempt to address a widespread existing problem with giant flags flying from towering flagpoles right at the borders of people’s property. He said this is an attempt to address the problem in a