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Return of the Copperheads Republican group brings Confederate flag to Wilton winter event
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no affiliation with CROW, and that the response Numerous political organizations are denouncing was lacking. a Republican club’s decision to display the “There have been many instances when the Confederate flag at a Wilton holiday event, saying Republican Party has taken legal action to protect the move celebrated a legacy of racial enslavement, its image and brand,” Shergill said. “It seems to lynching and oppression. me like they could be doing a lot more, and I think The controversy was sparked December 8 all of our region’s prominent Republican officials at the Wilton Winter Festival, which typically should be asked, quite simply, do you support the features children riding horses and leading 4-H Confederate flag?” animals in a parade that ends at C.W. Dillard Mahan confirmed in an email to SN&R that Elementary School. The popular hometown the county Republican Party had no statement gathering also features floats, which is where the on CROW’s use of the Confederate flag, though trouble began. she added that her organization has never used or A group known as Conservative Republicans condoned it. of Wilton, or CROW, piloted a float down the “The state Democratic Party is trying to make thoroughfare with a large Confederate flag hanging this much more than it was,” Mahan wrote. “It off the back. A cellphone video was soon shared on is hardly a movement and bringing attensocial media, which drew condemnation from tion to [CROW’s] five-minute ride the California Democratic Party, the down Dillard Road only serves League of United Latin American “You can the Democratic Party as they Citizens, the Council on continue to work toward American-Islamic Relations, have Southern the annihilation of the the Elk Grove South County pride, but you don’t Republican Party.” Democratic Club, Elk Grove have to have pride in a Sonia Lewis, founder of Indivisible and Elk Grove Elk Grove Unified School Unified School District’s system that enslaved an District’s Untold Stories Untold Stories of Racism. entire people.” of Racism and Bigotry, an The groups released online forum for combating a joint statement in Sonia Lewis racism, said concerns about mid-December saying the founder, Elk Grove Unified School the Confederate flag have to only reason to brandish the District’s Untold Stories of be viewed through the prism Confederate symbol is “to claim Racism and Bigotry of local hate crimes, including the pride in the abhorrent history targeting of a black-owned salon in behind the flag.” 2017 and numerous incidents of harassment SN&R wanted to ask CROW about and intimidation aimed at black students in the Elk displaying the symbol in a state that helped defeat Grove area. The crime at the salon included a note the Confederacy during the Civil War, but the that Elk Grove officials said was signed by the Ku group has no publicly listed contact information. It Klux Klan, partly founded by Confederate General does have a closed Facebook page with the descripNathan Bedford Forrest. tion, “This group is based on Conservative point of “The Confederate flag was a symbol of the views. Piss off with your Liberalism.” Southern states coming together to say they wanted Amar Shergill, an executive board member of slavery to be an economic system for the entire the state Democratic Party who lives in Elk Grove, country, so what it tells a person of color is, you said that what happened in Wilton shouldn’t be preferred for me to be a slave,” Lewis explained. taken lightly. “That’s the root of what people don’t always think “When we hear that someone is going to bring about—or want to think about.” that flag to an elementary school where little kids Lewis, a former teacher with a degree in history, are celebrating the holidays, we’re not going to stay thinks it’s a misnomer to couch Confederate flagquiet about,” Shergill said. bearing as historical nostalgia. Shergill asked the Sacramento County “You can have Southern pride,” Lewis said, Republican Party to disavow CROW’s use of the “but you don’t have to have pride in a system that Confederate flag. Shergill said that Chairwoman enslaved an entire people.” Ω Betsy Mahan responded that the county GOP has
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