Second GOP lawmaker calls for removing Confederate flag from S.C. State House
Another S.C. Republican lawmaker said Saturday that he would support removing the Confederate flag from the State House grounds.
Rep. Gary Clary, R-Pickens, said he does not blame the flag for the shooting deaths Wednesday of nine African-Americans at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. A 21-year-old white man from the Columbia area — with history of making racist comments and shown in photos with the flag — has been arrested in the murders.
But, Clary said, the time has come to remove a symbol offensive to some South Carolinians from the State House.
"It needs to be put in an appropriate place," the retired Circuit Court judge said. "Removing a divisive piece of history is something I would consider supporting."
Clary joins fellow Republican state Rep. Doug Brannon of Spartanburg, who said Saturday that he would sponsor legislation when the new session starts in January to remove the flag from its spot along Gervais Street, next to the Confederate memorial. Republicans hold a majority in the S.C. House and Senate.
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