OC Attorneys Call For Removal Of Mississippi Flag From Civic Center
SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — A group of Orange County attorneys are calling on the city of Santa Ana to remove the Mississippi state flag from the county courthouse.
KNX 1070's Mike Landa critics say the Confederate battle cross is a known symbol of racism and segregation from the Civil War era.
The Newport Beach-based Orange County Bar Association (OCBA) passed a resolution (PDF) in November that recommended the flag be removed from the Plaza of the Flags "because it incorporates the Confederate Battle Flag in its design."
The resolution, which was passed as part of the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address , explained that the flag,s design "is inextricably linked to a legacy of racism, exclusion, oppression, and violence in various ways," according to OCBA president Wayne Gross.
"If we are to remain true to President Lincoln's words that defined the Civil War as 'a new birth of freedom,' a flag design symbolizing racism and hatred has no place in or around courthouses," Gross said in a statement.
The OCBA has proposed the city replace the flag "with an alternative state symbol of the State of Mississippi to support equal justice for all."
Previous attempts to remove the flag date back as far as 1997, according to the resolution. Mississippi's flag is the last in the nation to include the Confederate symbol. Georgia removed it about a decade ago, according to the Associated Press.
There was no immediate response to the resolution from Santa Ana city officials.
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