00:00:11.908 --> 00:00:15.075
(gentle upbeat music)

00:00:34.015 --> 00:00:35.932
My name is Tommy Daras.

00:00:36.947 --> 00:00:39.530
We're in Edisto River Creamery.

00:00:44.209 --> 00:00:47.126
Big ole quarter-pounders, all beef.

00:00:49.372 --> 00:00:50.351
When I bought the Creamery,

00:00:50.351 --> 00:00:53.101
I saw it was in a beautiful park.

00:00:55.161 --> 00:00:57.620
I said, "What's not to like."

00:00:57.620 --> 00:01:01.180
- What kinda ice cream,
honey, did you want?

00:01:01.180 --> 00:01:03.013
Enjoy baby, thank you.

00:01:05.860 --> 00:01:07.969
- [Tommy] But if I could
rewind this whole situation,

00:01:07.969 --> 00:01:12.969
I woulda never came to South
Carolina in the first place.

00:01:13.111 --> 00:01:14.169
Made a little ice cream shop

00:01:14.169 --> 00:01:16.551
to sell ice cream cones in a park.

00:01:16.551 --> 00:01:18.580
And here I am in the middle of this crap.

00:01:18.580 --> 00:01:21.330
(dramatic music)

00:01:22.212 --> 00:01:24.943
- [Reporter 1] Battle over a
Confederate flag in Orangeburg.

00:01:24.943 --> 00:01:26.663
- [Reporter 2] The flag
flies atop this pole,

00:01:26.663 --> 00:01:29.631
right next to the sign for
the Edisto River Creamery.

00:01:29.631 --> 00:01:30.464
- [Reporter 3] But the flag

00:01:30.464 --> 00:01:33.252
is not owned by this ice cream parlor.

00:01:33.252 --> 00:01:36.431
- [All] I wish I was in
Dixie, hooray, hooray.

00:01:36.431 --> 00:01:38.359
- [Reporter 1] The Sons
of Confederate Veterans

00:01:38.359 --> 00:01:42.776
own the tiny piece of property
where the flag stands.

00:01:46.180 --> 00:01:48.209
- [Tommy] That flag is not mine.

00:01:48.209 --> 00:01:52.060
It's a piece of property that
the Confederate veterans own.

00:01:52.060 --> 00:01:53.929
- [Reporter 1] Initially
Daras accepted the flag,

00:01:53.929 --> 00:01:55.561
but that changed in the aftermath

00:01:55.561 --> 00:01:59.409
of the 2015 church shooting in Charleston.

00:01:59.409 --> 00:02:00.242
- [Reporter 4] Breaking News.

00:02:00.242 --> 00:02:02.120
- [Reporter 5] A mass shooting
in downtown Charleston.

00:02:02.120 --> 00:02:03.768
- [Reporter 6] Nine
people have been killed

00:02:03.768 --> 00:02:07.286
after a shooting inside a
historic African-American church

00:02:07.286 --> 00:02:08.304
in Charleston.
- [Reporter 7] A white man

00:02:08.304 --> 00:02:10.013
is under arrest, Dylann Roof.

00:02:10.013 --> 00:02:10.846
- [Reporter 8] The Justice Department

00:02:10.846 --> 00:02:14.204
is investigating the
murders as a hate crime.

00:02:14.204 --> 00:02:16.194
- [Reporter 9] Investigations
into Dylann Roof

00:02:16.194 --> 00:02:20.366
uncovered a photo of him
posing with a Confederate flag.

00:02:20.366 --> 00:02:21.847
- [Reporter 10] These
Confederate symbols now

00:02:21.847 --> 00:02:23.527
are at the center of a bitter debate

00:02:23.527 --> 00:02:28.527
about how we define our past
as we move forward as a nation.

00:02:29.295 --> 00:02:32.378
(anticipatory music)

00:02:36.492 --> 00:02:38.455
- After the Charleston shooting,

00:02:38.455 --> 00:02:40.374
the Confederate Veterans
came down with a flag

00:02:40.374 --> 00:02:41.956
that was three times as large as the one

00:02:41.956 --> 00:02:43.676
that they've ever had on there.

00:02:43.676 --> 00:02:44.735
Windows were broken out.

00:02:44.735 --> 00:02:46.636
I was fist fighting with
people in the parking lot.

00:02:46.636 --> 00:02:50.614
They were screaming at
me, calling me a racist.

00:02:50.614 --> 00:02:53.281
I said something's gotta happen.

00:02:55.047 --> 00:02:57.698
- [Reporter] After nearly
20 years of flying,

00:02:57.698 --> 00:02:59.796
the Confederate battle
flag is being removed

00:02:59.796 --> 00:03:01.465
from an Orangeburg business.

00:03:01.465 --> 00:03:03.866
- It is a disgrace in 2016

00:03:03.866 --> 00:03:06.156
that we got this thing standing up here,

00:03:06.156 --> 00:03:07.966
welcoming everybody to Orangeburg.

00:03:07.966 --> 00:03:10.666
- We're just hoping that
today will be the day

00:03:10.666 --> 00:03:14.436
that this flag will come down
in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

00:03:14.436 --> 00:03:17.167
- Oh, there has been a racial
divide here in this city

00:03:17.167 --> 00:03:19.178
and seeing this flag come down,

00:03:19.178 --> 00:03:22.068
it will let the city know
that we're not divided.

00:03:22.068 --> 00:03:23.901
We're coming together.

00:03:26.816 --> 00:03:29.242
- He's gonna be told not to take it down.

00:03:29.242 --> 00:03:30.825
He's a Damn Yankee.

00:03:33.574 --> 00:03:35.451
- That flag is coming down.
- No it ain't.

00:03:35.451 --> 00:03:38.081
- You're using this flagpole
for your political agenda.

00:03:38.081 --> 00:03:40.350
Your whole organization,
I'm gonna call racist.

00:03:40.350 --> 00:03:41.590
- You need to go back where you come from.

00:03:41.590 --> 00:03:42.670
- I come from Maryland sir,

00:03:42.670 --> 00:03:43.662
and that's south.
- Maryland?

00:03:43.662 --> 00:03:45.561
- I'm south of the Mason-Dixon line.

00:03:45.561 --> 00:03:46.550
- My apologies sir.

00:03:46.550 --> 00:03:47.539
- I'm as Southern as anybody here,

00:03:47.539 --> 00:03:49.740
and as proud as anybody here to be that.

00:03:49.740 --> 00:03:50.850
- But you sure don't sound like one.

00:03:50.850 --> 00:03:53.402
- Explain to me why you
put the huge flag up there

00:03:53.402 --> 00:03:56.169
after the crisis in Charleston?

00:03:56.169 --> 00:03:59.311
- Let me tell you a couple things.

00:03:59.311 --> 00:04:01.811
Those pictures of Dylann Roof,

00:04:02.788 --> 00:04:05.948
we're not 100% sure that they were legit.

00:04:05.948 --> 00:04:08.997
We had what we wanted on our property.

00:04:08.997 --> 00:04:10.428
Why should we compromise?

00:04:10.428 --> 00:04:12.148
- For the good of the community.

00:04:12.148 --> 00:04:13.534
- What do you mean community?

00:04:13.534 --> 00:04:15.425
This is our community right here.

00:04:15.425 --> 00:04:17.545
- I would have never
said five, ten years ago

00:04:17.545 --> 00:04:20.406
that I thought that was the
most racist thing in the world.

00:04:20.406 --> 00:04:22.966
Standing here on this corner,
talking to these people,

00:04:22.966 --> 00:04:24.214
I feel these people's hearts.

00:04:24.214 --> 00:04:26.156
- We want our flag pole left alone.

00:04:26.156 --> 00:04:28.036
- We're gonna let a judge decide that.

00:04:28.036 --> 00:04:29.369
- Fine

00:04:32.876 --> 00:04:34.414
- Are you still gonna try to take it down?

00:04:34.414 --> 00:04:38.294
- Absolutely, there will be
no stopping me at this point.

00:04:38.294 --> 00:04:40.877
(gentle music)

00:04:53.964 --> 00:04:55.862
- We came down here because of the fishing

00:04:55.862 --> 00:04:58.112
and the nice people we met.

00:04:59.713 --> 00:05:01.724
And then my wife Debbie and I got bored

00:05:01.724 --> 00:05:05.313
and this little restaurant
looked like a good opportunity.

00:05:05.313 --> 00:05:07.533
It belonged to Maurice's BBQ shop.

00:05:07.533 --> 00:05:11.564
And it was distressed
and in need of repair.

00:05:11.564 --> 00:05:13.933
Wasn't worried about the rebel flag.

00:05:13.933 --> 00:05:15.793
I never deemed that as racist.

00:05:15.793 --> 00:05:17.220
I mean it was history to me

00:05:17.220 --> 00:05:21.064
and you know it was cool because
it was like a rebel flag.

00:05:21.064 --> 00:05:22.582
That meant to us, in Maryland,

00:05:22.582 --> 00:05:24.644
that you were against the grain.

00:05:24.644 --> 00:05:26.404
You know, you were bad ***.

00:05:26.404 --> 00:05:28.873
(race car tires screech)

00:05:28.873 --> 00:05:31.512
When I lived in Maryland,
I was a race car driver.

00:05:31.512 --> 00:05:34.553
- [Announcer] And there is Tommy.

00:05:34.553 --> 00:05:36.235
- We had a rebel flag,
you know not on the car,

00:05:36.235 --> 00:05:38.723
but we had a flagpole by the race car.

00:05:38.723 --> 00:05:39.793
Especially when we go up north.

00:05:39.793 --> 00:05:41.924
'Cause we were the guys from down south.

00:05:41.924 --> 00:05:43.254
The guys to beat.

00:05:43.254 --> 00:05:46.304
(indistinct chatter)

00:05:46.304 --> 00:05:49.573
I was cleaning out my closets,
found it in the closet.

00:05:49.573 --> 00:05:51.345
I would wear this in public

00:05:51.345 --> 00:05:53.564
anywhere I went without a problem.

00:05:53.564 --> 00:05:56.882
When it became what it is today,

00:05:56.882 --> 00:05:59.413
my wife had said that
there was no place for that

00:05:59.413 --> 00:06:00.385
on a race team.

00:06:00.385 --> 00:06:03.218
(car engine revs)

00:06:05.054 --> 00:06:08.554
I'm not a racist by any means, or a hater.

00:06:10.672 --> 00:06:14.505
The closet was probably
the best place for it.

00:06:19.453 --> 00:06:21.582
- My name is Buzz Braxton,

00:06:21.582 --> 00:06:23.872
and I'm Lt. Commander,

00:06:23.872 --> 00:06:28.539
at Rivers Bridge Sons of
Confederate Veterans, Camp 842.

00:06:32.061 --> 00:06:34.390
This is General Robert E. Lee.

00:06:34.390 --> 00:06:36.131
Probably the greatest man

00:06:36.131 --> 00:06:39.228
that ever walked the face of this earth.

00:06:39.228 --> 00:06:41.531
A lot of people don't understand

00:06:41.531 --> 00:06:44.102
the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

00:06:44.102 --> 00:06:46.827
You got people, the first
words out of their mouth

00:06:46.827 --> 00:06:47.660
is racist.

00:06:49.171 --> 00:06:53.451
The Confederate battle
flag is the soldiers flag.

00:06:53.451 --> 00:06:54.840
Our ancestors.

00:06:54.840 --> 00:06:57.222
That's why we so proud of it.

00:06:57.222 --> 00:06:59.680
To you, Sons of Confederate Veterans,

00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:04.080
we submit the vindication of
the cause for which we fought.

00:07:04.080 --> 00:07:08.280
It is your duty to see that
the true history of the south

00:07:08.280 --> 00:07:11.548
is presented to future generations.

00:07:11.548 --> 00:07:14.070
And that's what we try to do.

00:07:14.070 --> 00:07:15.820
And it's a tough job.

00:07:17.618 --> 00:07:19.587
There's a picture of Maurice Bessinger,

00:07:19.587 --> 00:07:22.262
we were down there, right
where the flagpole is,

00:07:22.262 --> 00:07:25.251
selling Confederate stuff
and Maurice was with us.

00:07:25.251 --> 00:07:26.201
(gentle upbeat music)

00:07:26.201 --> 00:07:27.934
- I'm Maurice Bessinger,

00:07:27.934 --> 00:07:28.866
chairman of the board

00:07:28.866 --> 00:07:32.337
of Piggy Park Enterprises Incorporated.

00:07:32.337 --> 00:07:34.964
The south shall rise again. (laughs)

00:07:34.964 --> 00:07:35.797
- 236?

00:07:36.726 --> 00:07:38.817
- [Buzz] I knew Mr Maurice.

00:07:38.817 --> 00:07:41.234
He was a member of this camp.

00:07:42.354 --> 00:07:47.104
He owned and operated 9 BBQ
restaurants in South Carolina

00:07:48.926 --> 00:07:51.406
and one in Orangeburg too.

00:07:51.406 --> 00:07:53.036
- [Reporter 1] After almost four decades

00:07:53.036 --> 00:07:54.065
and a bitter debate,

00:07:54.065 --> 00:07:54.966
South Carolina-
- [Reporter 2] South Carolina

00:07:54.966 --> 00:07:56.265
removed the Confederate flag

00:07:56.265 --> 00:07:58.137
from the South Carolina
State House Saturday.

00:07:58.137 --> 00:07:59.446
- [Reporter 3] After 38 years,

00:07:59.446 --> 00:08:01.914
the flag began its
descent down the flagpole.

00:08:01.914 --> 00:08:04.246
- [Buzz] July the 1st, 2000,

00:08:04.246 --> 00:08:07.145
the flag was taken off
the dome in Columbia.

00:08:07.145 --> 00:08:09.304
(protestors chanting)

00:08:09.304 --> 00:08:11.966
(gentle upbeat music)

00:08:11.966 --> 00:08:14.625
- I raised the flag out
here on the big pole,

00:08:14.625 --> 00:08:18.816
to protest the taking
down of our heritage flag.

00:08:18.816 --> 00:08:22.417
- It went up in Orangeburg that same day.

00:08:22.417 --> 00:08:26.334
I was his biggest supporter
when that happened.

00:08:27.956 --> 00:08:30.417
Mr. Maurice called me one day

00:08:30.417 --> 00:08:32.806
and asked me if we would like to have

00:08:32.806 --> 00:08:36.665
the little piece of
property where the flag is.

00:08:36.665 --> 00:08:40.785
I feel sure he knew that the
Sons of Confederate Veterans

00:08:40.785 --> 00:08:42.636
would fly the flag.

00:08:42.636 --> 00:08:47.053
And that was one less thing
he needed to worry about.

00:08:51.504 --> 00:08:56.337
Charleston was a very tragic
night, in more ways than one.

00:08:58.105 --> 00:09:02.947
The whole emphasis changed
from 9 dead folks to the flag.

00:09:07.075 --> 00:09:10.726
I said, "If the flag is
gonna be under attack,

00:09:10.726 --> 00:09:12.309
bigger the better."

00:09:18.596 --> 00:09:19.966
- [Justin] Hey Tommy, what's up man?

00:09:19.966 --> 00:09:20.799
- [Tommy] Can you hear me?

00:09:20.799 --> 00:09:22.236
- Yeah, you know some of this stuff

00:09:22.236 --> 00:09:25.236
is like relatively uncharted waters.

00:09:27.086 --> 00:09:28.276
Tommy reached out

00:09:28.276 --> 00:09:31.676
and said, "Hey look I'm having
some issues on my property.

00:09:31.676 --> 00:09:33.966
Can you take a look?"

00:09:33.966 --> 00:09:37.593
I remember as a kid, riding to Orangeburg

00:09:37.593 --> 00:09:38.905
with my grandparents,

00:09:38.905 --> 00:09:42.742
and back then it was Maurice's
Piggy Park restaurant.

00:09:42.742 --> 00:09:44.366
Maurice put a sign up in his restaurant

00:09:44.366 --> 00:09:46.385
that says, "Yeah, the government may say,

00:09:46.385 --> 00:09:50.143
we have to serve *******, but
we're going to take that money

00:09:50.143 --> 00:09:52.009
and give it to the KKK."

00:09:52.009 --> 00:09:54.648
You knew as a minority,

00:09:54.648 --> 00:09:56.731
you're not welcome there.

00:09:57.718 --> 00:10:00.257
When Tommy and his wife
bought that property,

00:10:00.257 --> 00:10:01.867
the flag was there.

00:10:01.867 --> 00:10:03.537
They knew it was there.

00:10:03.537 --> 00:10:08.158
What they didn't know, was
what the culture was like

00:10:08.158 --> 00:10:09.598
here, in South Carolina.

00:10:09.598 --> 00:10:11.468
More specifically in Orangeburg.

00:10:11.468 --> 00:10:14.135
(gentle music)

00:10:21.828 --> 00:10:24.465
Smiling faces, beautiful places.

00:10:24.465 --> 00:10:26.137
That's all true here.

00:10:26.137 --> 00:10:29.137
But the racial dynamic is different.

00:10:30.868 --> 00:10:35.596
- Orangeburg is a majority
African American town.

00:10:35.596 --> 00:10:39.987
- It's 60% black according
to the 2010 census,

00:10:39.987 --> 00:10:42.570
well, that makes me a minority.

00:10:44.169 --> 00:10:46.268
- There is a racial divide in Orangeburg,

00:10:46.268 --> 00:10:49.428
and I guess that's got a
lot to do with the history.

00:10:49.428 --> 00:10:51.228
I feel like they sometimes feel like

00:10:51.228 --> 00:10:52.615
we've done something wrong to them

00:10:52.615 --> 00:10:55.908
even though that's happened years ago.

00:10:55.908 --> 00:10:59.557
- Even though I do see
whites and blacks all around,

00:10:59.557 --> 00:11:01.529
and they can be in the same vicinity,

00:11:01.529 --> 00:11:03.577
everybody know what's going on.

00:11:03.577 --> 00:11:06.994
(gentle music continues)

00:11:10.668 --> 00:11:13.049
- After that original
showdown at the Creamery,

00:11:13.049 --> 00:11:15.677
we said, let's look at the law.

00:11:15.677 --> 00:11:17.987
Local government, they
can't regulate speech,

00:11:17.987 --> 00:11:21.116
but they can regulate
uses of the property.

00:11:21.116 --> 00:11:22.033
And it hit.

00:11:23.616 --> 00:11:25.668
Look at zoning.

00:11:25.668 --> 00:11:28.468
This is the actual zoning map.

00:11:28.468 --> 00:11:33.468
You can zoom in and you'll
see, that's us right here.

00:11:33.655 --> 00:11:36.678
That entire area is zoned
business commercial,

00:11:36.678 --> 00:11:39.278
to specifically promote businesses

00:11:39.278 --> 00:11:40.969
and commercial uses of property

00:11:40.969 --> 00:11:44.136
that benefit the community as a whole.

00:11:45.518 --> 00:11:48.685
If you zoom all the way in, that's it.

00:11:51.407 --> 00:11:55.066
This is the little piece
that this fight is over.

00:11:55.066 --> 00:12:00.007
How is 0.003 acres,

00:12:01.948 --> 00:12:05.358
a legitimate business
commercial piece of property?

00:12:05.358 --> 00:12:06.191
It's not.

00:12:07.706 --> 00:12:10.097
People have this misconception

00:12:10.097 --> 00:12:12.918
that just because it's private property,

00:12:12.918 --> 00:12:17.769
you can do with it whatever
you want, however you want.

00:12:17.769 --> 00:12:20.217
And that is not true.

00:12:20.217 --> 00:12:23.438
If the city zoning ordinance says,

00:12:23.438 --> 00:12:28.438
you can only have two dogs at
your house and you have four,

00:12:28.798 --> 00:12:33.798
you're in violation of that,
and there are repercussions.

00:12:34.015 --> 00:12:36.614
You know, you look at
the monument that's there

00:12:36.614 --> 00:12:37.929
and it specifically says,

00:12:37.929 --> 00:12:42.179
you know, "We fly this flag
to honor the soldiers."

00:12:43.116 --> 00:12:44.855
It's clear that Buzz Braxton

00:12:44.855 --> 00:12:46.888
and the Sons of the
Confederate Veterans group

00:12:46.888 --> 00:12:49.140
want to use that piece of property

00:12:49.140 --> 00:12:51.963
to keep Maurice Bessinger's hateful legacy

00:12:51.963 --> 00:12:54.014
living on into perpetuity.

00:12:54.014 --> 00:12:56.043
(dramatic music)

00:12:56.043 --> 00:12:56.951
- [Reporter 1] In Orangeburg,

00:12:56.951 --> 00:12:58.941
a battle to remove a Confederate flag

00:12:58.941 --> 00:13:03.054
that flies next to an ice
cream shop continues tonight.

00:13:03.054 --> 00:13:04.980
- [Reporter 2] They took
their concerns to the city,

00:13:04.980 --> 00:13:07.622
with hopes of the zoning
of where that flag sits

00:13:07.622 --> 00:13:09.289
could be challenged.

00:13:15.163 --> 00:13:15.996
- Sup Man?

00:13:15.996 --> 00:13:16.829
- Look at you man?

00:13:16.829 --> 00:13:18.947
What's happening with you?

00:13:18.947 --> 00:13:21.827
- Alright, young lady, I'm Buzz Braxton.

00:13:21.827 --> 00:13:22.937
Thank you for coming.

00:13:22.937 --> 00:13:25.996
- We don't have jurisdiction
over this in a public way

00:13:25.996 --> 00:13:29.126
just clear the record right away.

00:13:29.126 --> 00:13:31.459
I was contacted by Camp 842.

00:13:33.935 --> 00:13:37.706
These gentlemen were in
need of a good advocate.

00:13:37.706 --> 00:13:40.726
The issues being presented,
were at the very foundation

00:13:40.726 --> 00:13:44.464
of what our American
Constitution is made up of.

00:13:44.464 --> 00:13:47.145
And the Constitution is
very important to me,

00:13:47.145 --> 00:13:50.478
being an attorney and being an American.

00:13:56.346 --> 00:13:57.315
(gavel bangs)

00:13:57.315 --> 00:13:58.796
- [Board Member] Good
evening ladies and gentlemen.

00:13:58.796 --> 00:14:02.287
We will now call the Board
of Zoning and Appeals meeting

00:14:02.287 --> 00:14:03.120
to order.

00:14:07.527 --> 00:14:11.116
- This particular area was
zoned B-1 general commercial.

00:14:11.116 --> 00:14:13.434
The moment that Maurice
Bessinger subdivided

00:14:13.434 --> 00:14:17.256
that piece of property
into two separate parcels,

00:14:17.256 --> 00:14:19.647
each parcel was then required to comply

00:14:19.647 --> 00:14:22.276
with you all's zoning ordinance.

00:14:22.276 --> 00:14:24.316
This property is intended to be used

00:14:24.316 --> 00:14:27.345
and it has been used
for well over ten years,

00:14:27.345 --> 00:14:29.714
as a historical marker.

00:14:29.714 --> 00:14:31.066
Zero commercial use.

00:14:31.066 --> 00:14:34.946
And I would ask that you find
that this piece of property,

00:14:34.946 --> 00:14:35.806
flag included,

00:14:35.806 --> 00:14:40.113
does violate the City of
Orangeburg's zoning ordinances.

00:14:40.113 --> 00:14:42.863
- I can't keep up with that bull.

00:14:44.703 --> 00:14:46.412
- With all due respect,

00:14:46.412 --> 00:14:48.975
that was a beautiful
argument that was made.

00:14:48.975 --> 00:14:52.164
But this is not the forum to
handle a piece of property

00:14:52.164 --> 00:14:56.472
that has since 2005 been
deeded to a private entity

00:14:56.472 --> 00:14:57.889
with no problems.

00:14:59.375 --> 00:15:00.935
There are being some raised,

00:15:00.935 --> 00:15:04.415
but uniquely, they're
being raised schematically

00:15:04.415 --> 00:15:07.284
all across the United States of America.

00:15:07.284 --> 00:15:10.465
This is First Amendment speech.

00:15:10.465 --> 00:15:13.724
It would behoove the
leadership of this group

00:15:13.724 --> 00:15:18.604
to not overturn a well
founded decision by the zoning

00:15:18.604 --> 00:15:20.564
that falls in accordance with the law.

00:15:20.564 --> 00:15:21.433
Thank you.

00:15:21.433 --> 00:15:23.473
- [Board Member] Thank you.

00:15:23.473 --> 00:15:26.044
- I'm David Epting, Zoning Administrator.

00:15:26.044 --> 00:15:29.611
The current use is flying
the Confederate flag

00:15:29.611 --> 00:15:31.502
and maintaining a monument.

00:15:31.502 --> 00:15:32.604
The City of Orangeburg,

00:15:32.604 --> 00:15:35.004
does not regulate the location of flags

00:15:35.004 --> 00:15:37.932
or the display of flags thereon by zoning

00:15:37.932 --> 00:15:39.862
or any other regulation.

00:15:39.862 --> 00:15:42.771
Therefore, the property is in compliance.

00:15:42.771 --> 00:15:44.073
- [Board Member] Thank you.

00:15:44.073 --> 00:15:46.622
We'll adjourn for a
brief executive session

00:15:46.622 --> 00:15:47.953
and we'll be back.

00:15:47.953 --> 00:15:51.120
(indistinct chatter)

00:15:57.673 --> 00:16:00.364
- This is the zoning laws.

00:16:00.364 --> 00:16:01.809
- That's what we're here for tonight.

00:16:01.809 --> 00:16:02.729
You got it all out there.

00:16:02.729 --> 00:16:03.895
How they're gonna take it is,

00:16:03.895 --> 00:16:05.827
you know with that crowd out there,

00:16:05.827 --> 00:16:07.748
they're gonna take it into consideration.

00:16:07.748 --> 00:16:09.108
I know that.

00:16:09.108 --> 00:16:11.326
- Let's hope and pray.

00:16:11.326 --> 00:16:12.315
Hope and pray.

00:16:12.315 --> 00:16:14.815
American legal system at work.

00:16:20.395 --> 00:16:22.006
- I call the meeting back to order.

00:16:22.006 --> 00:16:25.385
Can I get a motion for the decision?

00:16:25.385 --> 00:16:26.976
Please?

00:16:26.976 --> 00:16:28.897
- [Board Member] Madam
Chair, I make a motion

00:16:28.897 --> 00:16:30.257
that we uphold the decision

00:16:30.257 --> 00:16:33.055
of the zoning administrator
based on his findings.

00:16:33.055 --> 00:16:34.137
- Can I get a second?

00:16:34.137 --> 00:16:35.395
- Second.

00:16:35.395 --> 00:16:37.534
- All in favor of upholding the motion

00:16:37.534 --> 00:16:39.326
of our zoning administrator?

00:16:39.326 --> 00:16:43.115
Let it be known by showing
of your right hand.

00:16:43.115 --> 00:16:44.032
Any oppose?

00:16:45.015 --> 00:16:48.297
So the Zoning Board has
agreed upon the decision

00:16:48.297 --> 00:16:50.147
that the zoning administrator made.

00:16:50.147 --> 00:16:50.980
Thank you.

00:16:50.980 --> 00:16:52.206
This meeting is adjourned.

00:16:52.206 --> 00:16:55.646
(people clapping)

00:16:55.646 --> 00:17:00.086
- [Justin] We lost, for an
issue that is this contentious,

00:17:00.086 --> 00:17:01.347
I would be hesitant

00:17:01.347 --> 00:17:04.817
to rule against the Sons
of Confederate Veterans.

00:17:04.817 --> 00:17:06.017
- Pass the word.

00:17:06.017 --> 00:17:07.867
- Already have, already have.

00:17:07.867 --> 00:17:11.107
- I think that if you look
at the zoning ordinance,

00:17:11.107 --> 00:17:14.398
it lays out what properties
are to be used for.

00:17:14.398 --> 00:17:17.898
This was never a challenge to free speech.

00:17:19.177 --> 00:17:20.046
- Love you, Bro.

00:17:20.046 --> 00:17:21.162
- Love you too, man. Love you too.

00:17:21.162 --> 00:17:22.852
And don't worry about, listen,

00:17:22.852 --> 00:17:25.560
don't pay attention to
comments, all that stuff.

00:17:25.560 --> 00:17:26.870
We put forth.

00:17:26.870 --> 00:17:28.000
- Okay.

00:17:28.000 --> 00:17:29.551
- A solid argument.

00:17:29.551 --> 00:17:32.181
- They went to the path
of less least resistance.

00:17:32.181 --> 00:17:33.871
- I think they got it wrong personally.

00:17:33.871 --> 00:17:36.343
But, we deal with it.

00:17:36.343 --> 00:17:37.176
- Yeah.

00:17:39.092 --> 00:17:41.931
Zoning is used so the local
government can control

00:17:41.931 --> 00:17:42.851
what's being done,

00:17:42.851 --> 00:17:45.161
and they're not using
that to their advantage.

00:17:45.161 --> 00:17:49.911
They could have pulled that
thing out of there years ago.

00:17:52.503 --> 00:17:53.912
I think they've got someone telling them

00:17:53.912 --> 00:17:56.329
make sure it don't come down.

00:18:00.701 --> 00:18:01.534
- [Reporter 1] A Confederate flag

00:18:01.534 --> 00:18:04.101
flying beside a South
Carolina ice cream parlor

00:18:04.101 --> 00:18:05.843
is igniting new concerns.

00:18:05.843 --> 00:18:07.293
- [Reporter 2] The Creamery received

00:18:07.293 --> 00:18:08.933
this racially charged letter.

00:18:08.933 --> 00:18:09.801
- [Reporter 3] His business

00:18:09.801 --> 00:18:11.909
has been vandalized multiple times.

00:18:11.909 --> 00:18:13.780
His employees have been harassed.

00:18:13.780 --> 00:18:17.379
And a riot nearly
started outside his shop.

00:18:17.379 --> 00:18:19.612
- Keep that flag flying!

00:18:19.612 --> 00:18:22.279
(gentle music)

00:18:40.950 --> 00:18:44.590
- This peg is where
their property line is,

00:18:44.590 --> 00:18:45.809
and that peg there.

00:18:45.809 --> 00:18:46.649
(car honking)

00:18:46.649 --> 00:18:48.868
When you stand out here for
a moment, they're hollering,

00:18:48.868 --> 00:18:53.396
"Take it down" or "Leave it
alone," or you know "F you."

00:18:53.396 --> 00:18:55.545
My wife Debbie thinks that
the Sons of the Confederacy

00:18:55.545 --> 00:18:57.326
are gonna burn our house down.

00:18:57.326 --> 00:18:58.369
She's up all hours of the night

00:18:58.369 --> 00:19:00.869
looking out the damned window.

00:19:02.220 --> 00:19:03.279
It's aggravating to me,

00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:06.529
she's going through all this suffering.

00:19:08.389 --> 00:19:10.930
(kids chattering indistinct)

00:19:10.930 --> 00:19:13.787
- [Debbie] We are gonna make candy apples

00:19:13.787 --> 00:19:17.204
because that's about how sweet Jesus is.

00:19:17.204 --> 00:19:19.466
- [Tommy] My wife did
Bible study in Maryland,

00:19:19.466 --> 00:19:22.066
and we came down here,
and started a Bible study

00:19:22.066 --> 00:19:25.399
with just a couple kids at the Creamery.

00:19:27.706 --> 00:19:31.706
- So I guess you know
in this big ole world

00:19:31.706 --> 00:19:35.005
it's not perfect these days is it?

00:19:35.005 --> 00:19:35.838
- No, Ma'am.

00:19:35.838 --> 00:19:39.807
- But Miss Debbie tells
you that Jesus what?

00:19:39.807 --> 00:19:40.786
- [Kids] Loves you.

00:19:40.786 --> 00:19:42.207
- Like so much.

00:19:42.207 --> 00:19:43.040
- Some people even told us

00:19:43.040 --> 00:19:44.186
that they would not come in here to eat

00:19:44.186 --> 00:19:45.284
because they were afraid.

00:19:45.284 --> 00:19:47.234
Isn't that craziness?

00:19:47.234 --> 00:19:49.034
I was in the doctor's office one day,

00:19:49.034 --> 00:19:52.205
and the lady said to me, "Do
you own the ice cream shop,

00:19:52.205 --> 00:19:53.514
the Edisto River Creamery?"

00:19:53.514 --> 00:19:54.514
And I said, "Yes, ma'am."

00:19:54.514 --> 00:19:56.585
And she said, "I heard,

00:19:56.585 --> 00:19:59.845
that you people beat up black people."

00:19:59.845 --> 00:20:03.634
And I said, "You have
got to be kidding me."

00:20:03.634 --> 00:20:06.034
I said, she had some of
her grandchildren with her.

00:20:06.034 --> 00:20:08.266
I said, "You bring those
babies to my Bible Study

00:20:08.266 --> 00:20:10.365
on Wednesday night, and
you sit there with me.

00:20:10.365 --> 00:20:12.234
And you're gonna know what we're about."

00:20:12.234 --> 00:20:14.045
You need to have what?

00:20:14.045 --> 00:20:14.935
- [Girl] Faith.

00:20:14.935 --> 00:20:15.768
- Faith

00:20:15.768 --> 00:20:19.685
But that's the kind of
rumors that went around.

00:20:21.005 --> 00:20:23.975
It's so stressful and it's so sad.

00:20:29.626 --> 00:20:31.876
I think it's sad, too,

00:20:31.876 --> 00:20:33.874
because I wanna please everybody.

00:20:33.874 --> 00:20:35.791
I wanna love everybody.

00:20:36.906 --> 00:20:39.225
And sometimes I often wonder,
God, why did you bring me

00:20:39.225 --> 00:20:40.226
to this place?

00:20:40.226 --> 00:20:43.186
Why did you bring me to this town?

00:20:43.186 --> 00:20:44.019
Why?

00:20:54.004 --> 00:20:57.294
- [SCV Group] I salute the
Confederate flag with affection,

00:20:57.294 --> 00:20:59.986
reverence, and undying devotion

00:20:59.986 --> 00:21:02.493
to the cause for which it stands.

00:21:02.493 --> 00:21:06.122
- Thank you, you may all be seated.

00:21:06.122 --> 00:21:09.330
For those of you who have
not heard or do not know,

00:21:09.330 --> 00:21:13.063
we did have a wonderful
victory in Orangeburg.

00:21:13.063 --> 00:21:16.063
Our flag will continue to fly.

00:21:16.063 --> 00:21:19.040
I hope it will continue to fly forever.

00:21:19.040 --> 00:21:20.183
- I can't have these.

00:21:20.183 --> 00:21:21.016
- More (indistinct).

00:21:21.016 --> 00:21:22.194
(men laughing)

00:21:22.194 --> 00:21:25.042
- These were brave men
that fought in this war.

00:21:25.042 --> 00:21:27.122
Most of 'em were volunteers.

00:21:27.122 --> 00:21:29.306
And don't need to forget 'em.

00:21:29.306 --> 00:21:31.905
They like any other war heroes.

00:21:31.905 --> 00:21:34.567
They fought for a cause they believed in.

00:21:34.567 --> 00:21:36.721
- I made a promise to an old dying man

00:21:36.721 --> 00:21:37.910
that I'd keep it alive.

00:21:37.910 --> 00:21:41.870
And that was my grandfather
and I've done it ever since.

00:21:41.870 --> 00:21:43.849
That's a tall order though.

00:21:43.849 --> 00:21:45.769
- Our goal is to preserve the good name

00:21:45.769 --> 00:21:47.769
of the Confederate soldier.

00:21:47.769 --> 00:21:50.761
You can't pay a lot of attention

00:21:50.761 --> 00:21:54.249
to what you see in the news media.

00:21:54.249 --> 00:21:55.849
Don't read any modern books,

00:21:55.849 --> 00:21:58.599
'cause they're extremely slanted.

00:21:59.470 --> 00:22:02.910
But if you read the original accounts,

00:22:02.910 --> 00:22:07.380
you'll find the real reasons
that both sides fought.

00:22:07.380 --> 00:22:10.721
♪ I wish I was in the land of cotton ♪

00:22:10.721 --> 00:22:14.940
♪ Old times there are not
forgotten, look away ♪

00:22:14.940 --> 00:22:19.332
♪ Look away, look away Dixie Land ♪

00:22:19.332 --> 00:22:20.561
♪ In Dixie Land ♪

00:22:20.561 --> 00:22:25.282
- [Buzz] It's negative when
you see people that preach hate

00:22:25.282 --> 00:22:26.384
flying that flag.

00:22:26.384 --> 00:22:30.754
It is not anything that the
Sons of Confederate Veterans

00:22:30.754 --> 00:22:31.714
enjoy seeing.

00:22:31.714 --> 00:22:36.714
♪ And I wish I was in
Dixie, hooray, hooray ♪

00:22:38.282 --> 00:22:42.141
The second coming of the
Klan used the Battle Flag.

00:22:42.141 --> 00:22:47.141
And then some groups now carry
a swastika and a battle flag.

00:22:48.341 --> 00:22:51.841
Well, I mean, we cannot control everybody.

00:22:54.786 --> 00:22:57.485
It got misappropriated.

00:22:57.485 --> 00:23:02.045
But that does not mean
that it wasn't honorable

00:23:02.045 --> 00:23:05.712
when those men from
1861 to 1865 carried it.

00:23:08.156 --> 00:23:10.823
(gentle music)

00:23:15.624 --> 00:23:16.535
- It's heritage.

00:23:16.535 --> 00:23:18.785
It's a symbol of the south.

00:23:19.635 --> 00:23:21.468
It's a part of Dixie.

00:23:22.677 --> 00:23:24.266
- Segregation has been over for a while.

00:23:24.266 --> 00:23:26.416
And something like that
to still be appearing

00:23:26.416 --> 00:23:31.234
in a small town like this,
it's still creating division.

00:23:31.234 --> 00:23:32.124
- Why take it down?

00:23:32.124 --> 00:23:34.402
The blacks ought to be proud of that flag

00:23:34.402 --> 00:23:36.264
that they fought under.

00:23:36.264 --> 00:23:38.174
Just like the whites.

00:23:38.174 --> 00:23:41.591
- It stands for racism, slavery, hatred.

00:23:44.721 --> 00:23:48.123
- It needs to come down along
with all these other statues

00:23:48.123 --> 00:23:50.083
and symbols of supremacy.

00:23:50.083 --> 00:23:52.000
They need to come down.

00:23:54.595 --> 00:23:55.563
(phone rings)

00:23:55.563 --> 00:23:57.542
- Good morning. May I help you?

00:23:57.542 --> 00:23:59.531
Good how are you?

00:23:59.531 --> 00:24:00.614
Right, mh-mm.

00:24:05.569 --> 00:24:08.091
As the first African
American Mayor of Orangeburg,

00:24:08.091 --> 00:24:11.102
I don't feel threatened to go anywhere.

00:24:11.102 --> 00:24:13.519
I go anywhere, to any people.

00:24:15.589 --> 00:24:18.651
I can remember, Maurice BBQ.

00:24:18.651 --> 00:24:21.581
They portrayed an image of prejudice

00:24:21.581 --> 00:24:24.414
and making racial slurs toward us.

00:24:26.440 --> 00:24:29.199
I wouldn't dare go in there.

00:24:29.199 --> 00:24:32.192
When it changed to the
Creamery, we were glad

00:24:32.192 --> 00:24:35.632
'cause you know we wanted
a positive image there.

00:24:35.632 --> 00:24:40.035
The owner told us that he was
trying to get the flag down.

00:24:40.035 --> 00:24:42.683
We all was excited to bring it down.

00:24:42.683 --> 00:24:45.624
But he didn't have the proper paperwork.

00:24:45.624 --> 00:24:48.144
There's nothing we can do.

00:24:48.144 --> 00:24:51.003
We don't step outside of
our scope of authority.

00:24:51.003 --> 00:24:53.503
(gentle music)

00:24:53.503 --> 00:24:55.614
- I think that most people in Orangeburg

00:24:55.614 --> 00:24:57.364
want to move forward.

00:24:58.894 --> 00:25:03.043
Not everybody's willing
to ruffle some feathers

00:25:03.043 --> 00:25:05.212
to try to make it happen.

00:25:05.212 --> 00:25:08.629
(gentle music continues)

00:25:11.833 --> 00:25:13.764
Whether or not they can look at a flagpole

00:25:13.764 --> 00:25:18.684
in the realm of zoning
instead of sign restrictions,

00:25:18.684 --> 00:25:21.017
or flag restrictions, right?

00:25:21.883 --> 00:25:23.103
And that's because they're not looking

00:25:23.103 --> 00:25:24.524
at the main use of the property.

00:25:24.524 --> 00:25:26.874
Like I been trying to damn tell them for

00:25:26.874 --> 00:25:29.803
ever since we started this.

00:25:29.803 --> 00:25:31.364
I'm trying to give them
everything they need

00:25:31.364 --> 00:25:33.543
to make the right decision, right?

00:25:33.543 --> 00:25:36.332
But you can give people information,

00:25:36.332 --> 00:25:38.602
but you can't give them courage.

00:25:38.602 --> 00:25:40.484
You'd be surprised the
kinda stuff you can think of

00:25:40.484 --> 00:25:45.135
when you've had ten cups
of coffee and it's 4 am.

00:25:45.135 --> 00:25:47.802
(Justin laughs)

00:25:51.522 --> 00:25:53.263
These are the ones Melissa did?

00:25:53.263 --> 00:25:54.096
- Yeah.

00:25:54.096 --> 00:25:55.063
- Sweet.

00:25:55.063 --> 00:25:56.554
Thank you Melissa.

00:25:56.554 --> 00:26:00.054
(gentle music continues)

00:26:03.823 --> 00:26:07.322
Today, we are actually going
to appeal the decision.

00:26:07.322 --> 00:26:09.663
And appeals go straight to circuit court,

00:26:09.663 --> 00:26:11.741
and now you're get in front of a judge

00:26:11.741 --> 00:26:14.463
with a legal training, background.

00:26:14.463 --> 00:26:16.442
And I think that, you know,
for all intensive purposes

00:26:16.442 --> 00:26:18.842
it's gonna be extremely helpful for us.

00:26:18.842 --> 00:26:21.761
It removes that political element

00:26:21.761 --> 00:26:25.803
that is realistically
there on the local level.

00:26:25.803 --> 00:26:27.305
We're about to go file this.

00:26:27.305 --> 00:26:28.937
And then we wait.

00:26:28.937 --> 00:26:31.604
(gentle music)

00:26:49.875 --> 00:26:52.926
- The world is very
much changing around me

00:26:52.926 --> 00:26:54.509
and everybody else.

00:26:56.657 --> 00:26:59.977
Orangeburg is a nice little town.

00:26:59.977 --> 00:27:02.865
But it's not the same
little town I remember

00:27:02.865 --> 00:27:05.448
when I was in school and stuff.

00:27:06.555 --> 00:27:11.472
All southern radio stations
signed off at night with Dixie.

00:27:12.984 --> 00:27:16.151
That's how things were supposed to be.

00:27:19.177 --> 00:27:21.177
It's just, you see a lot

00:27:23.126 --> 00:27:26.626
that you don't really be comfortable with.

00:27:30.926 --> 00:27:33.259
I try not to use the N word.

00:27:34.446 --> 00:27:36.195
But if there's somebody out there

00:27:36.195 --> 00:27:40.028
just doing everything
wrong in their behavior,

00:27:42.505 --> 00:27:45.838
in their conduct, I might say that word.

00:27:48.344 --> 00:27:52.177
And I can't say that I
would apologize for it.

00:28:02.435 --> 00:28:04.935
(car beeping)

00:28:17.536 --> 00:28:20.786
- The day I filed the zoning challenge,

00:28:21.854 --> 00:28:25.104
that next morning, my dogs are barking,

00:28:26.166 --> 00:28:28.166
and I go look out my door

00:28:28.166 --> 00:28:31.046
and there's like a pickup truck
pulling into my my driveway

00:28:31.046 --> 00:28:32.046
in the back.

00:28:34.803 --> 00:28:36.856
Did somebody come to the
wrong house that night?

00:28:36.856 --> 00:28:38.868
I don't know. You don't know, right?

00:28:38.868 --> 00:28:42.940
But when you pair that
with what was going on,

00:28:42.940 --> 00:28:44.139
it makes you wonder.

00:28:44.139 --> 00:28:46.389
Makes you a little nervous.

00:28:50.089 --> 00:28:51.021
(whistles at dogs)

00:28:51.021 --> 00:28:53.491
(dogs barking)

00:28:53.491 --> 00:28:54.908
That's my babies.

00:28:58.161 --> 00:28:59.833
I've had conversations with people,

00:28:59.833 --> 00:29:01.222
they see the fight that we're in

00:29:01.222 --> 00:29:04.171
with the Sons of Confederate
Veterans over the zoning,

00:29:04.171 --> 00:29:06.921
and they literally are like...

00:29:08.582 --> 00:29:12.165
Wait, isn't Orangeburg
like 60 to 70% black?

00:29:13.561 --> 00:29:15.553
You know, why is bringing down that flag

00:29:15.553 --> 00:29:17.481
even a topic of discussion?

00:29:17.481 --> 00:29:18.871
It should have been down.

00:29:18.871 --> 00:29:20.530
And you just have to let 'em know

00:29:20.530 --> 00:29:23.912
that white supremacy has
its roots everywhere.

00:29:23.912 --> 00:29:26.741
Orangeburg is no different.

00:29:26.741 --> 00:29:29.324
(somber music)

00:29:42.317 --> 00:29:45.119
You know, Orangeburg is home
to the Orangeburg Massacre,

00:29:45.119 --> 00:29:47.119
one of the worst things
that's ever happened

00:29:47.119 --> 00:29:50.702
in terms of Civil Rights
in South Carolina.

00:29:53.217 --> 00:29:54.827
Students were protesting

00:29:54.827 --> 00:29:59.119
for the integration of
the local bowling alley.

00:29:59.119 --> 00:30:00.157
Fearing violence,

00:30:00.157 --> 00:30:03.988
the governor sent in the
South Carolina Highway Patrol.

00:30:03.988 --> 00:30:07.017
One night, the patrol
broke out in gunfire,

00:30:07.017 --> 00:30:11.279
killing three students
and injuring 28 others.

00:30:11.279 --> 00:30:13.108
It was fifty years ago,

00:30:13.108 --> 00:30:18.097
but that's not something that
people in town have forgotten.

00:30:18.097 --> 00:30:21.119
It's kind of like the
shadows of a dark era

00:30:21.119 --> 00:30:22.952
are constantly on you.

00:30:25.308 --> 00:30:27.817
And I think some people
just don't wanna think about

00:30:27.817 --> 00:30:31.289
the Confederacy or think
about what it means,

00:30:31.289 --> 00:30:32.706
or what it meant.

00:30:34.551 --> 00:30:37.281
You would have this expectation

00:30:37.281 --> 00:30:40.689
that when you do have
black leaders in a city

00:30:40.689 --> 00:30:44.689
that on issues like this
they will be very bold,

00:30:46.511 --> 00:30:51.511
they will be very outspoken,
and a lot of times they aren't.

00:30:52.591 --> 00:30:56.780
Not everybody in government or in politics

00:30:56.780 --> 00:30:59.201
is comfortable with what comes

00:30:59.201 --> 00:31:03.951
with bucking a system that's
been in place for 400 years.

00:31:07.172 --> 00:31:11.251
As long as there are Confederate
monuments everywhere,

00:31:11.251 --> 00:31:13.532
white supremacy will always be here.

00:31:13.532 --> 00:31:16.199
(gentle music)

00:31:26.009 --> 00:31:28.342
- Business is just terrible,

00:31:29.580 --> 00:31:31.650
The numbers on the Creamery were very good

00:31:31.650 --> 00:31:33.107
for like several months.

00:31:33.107 --> 00:31:36.640
And then the minute the
flag story hit the paper,

00:31:36.640 --> 00:31:39.770
business started going down.

00:31:39.770 --> 00:31:42.109
The black people won't come
until I get the flag down.

00:31:42.109 --> 00:31:43.019
The white people won't come

00:31:43.019 --> 00:31:46.686
because I said I didn't
want the flag there.

00:31:48.857 --> 00:31:51.549
I just don't know what to do.

00:31:51.549 --> 00:31:53.549
I don't know what to do.

00:31:54.689 --> 00:31:58.989
The community, the city
council, the city administrator,

00:31:58.989 --> 00:32:00.080
none of them are coming out

00:32:00.080 --> 00:32:02.728
and helping to get this thing gone.

00:32:02.728 --> 00:32:05.339
In the back room, they're
telling me they support me.

00:32:05.339 --> 00:32:07.349
When it comes down to brass balls,

00:32:07.349 --> 00:32:09.309
it's crickets.

00:32:09.309 --> 00:32:10.799
It sucks!

00:32:10.799 --> 00:32:13.851
(dramatic music)

00:32:13.851 --> 00:32:14.829
- [Reporter] The controversy

00:32:14.829 --> 00:32:17.720
over a Confederate Flag continues tonight.

00:32:17.720 --> 00:32:19.029
- [Tommy] Justin and I have tried

00:32:19.029 --> 00:32:24.029
to exhaust all reasonable avenues
and it's just not working.

00:32:24.349 --> 00:32:26.107
- [Reporter] Tommy
Daras is now threatening

00:32:26.107 --> 00:32:29.840
to remove the flag and
Confederate marker himself.

00:32:29.840 --> 00:32:31.178
- Maurice Bessinger planned it

00:32:31.178 --> 00:32:35.577
just so he could shove that
flag up everybody's ***

00:32:35.577 --> 00:32:37.949
in the city of Orangeburg for eternity.

00:32:37.949 --> 00:32:38.782
- [Reporter] Daras says,

00:32:38.782 --> 00:32:41.230
he sent the Sons of the
Confederate a message telling them

00:32:41.230 --> 00:32:43.032
if they want their flag and marker,

00:32:43.032 --> 00:32:45.552
they need to come and get it.

00:32:45.552 --> 00:32:46.780
- Good morning Mayor Butler.

00:32:46.780 --> 00:32:49.718
I'm here on site now, starting
to begin construction.

00:32:49.718 --> 00:32:51.051
I been trying to contact someone

00:32:51.051 --> 00:32:53.000
and they're not calling me back.

00:32:53.000 --> 00:32:54.421
What if I donate the whole property

00:32:54.421 --> 00:32:55.459
to the Sons of Confederacy.

00:32:55.459 --> 00:32:59.531
And they put flags and swastikas
and what the hell ever.

00:32:59.531 --> 00:33:01.541
Is the city gonna be okay with that?

00:33:01.541 --> 00:33:04.523
No! So they better get
their ***** on board.

00:33:04.523 --> 00:33:05.731
(phone ringing)

00:33:05.731 --> 00:33:06.981
- [Woman] Public safety.
- Good morning,

00:33:06.981 --> 00:33:10.934
I guess I'm about to
commit a property crime.

00:33:10.934 --> 00:33:12.880
- We're not getting involved
with the civil stuff of it.

00:33:12.880 --> 00:33:14.485
- Okay.
- So-

00:33:14.485 --> 00:33:15.365
- It's not civil.

00:33:15.365 --> 00:33:16.705
- But, just hear me out
for a second, please.

00:33:16.705 --> 00:33:17.538
- Yes, sir. I'm sorry.

00:33:17.538 --> 00:33:19.834
- As long as we don't see
anyone out here fighting,

00:33:19.834 --> 00:33:22.266
we're not getting involved with this.

00:33:22.266 --> 00:33:25.766
- Dig up right right around the monument.

00:33:27.540 --> 00:33:29.542
I'm just getting it ready for pickup.

00:33:29.542 --> 00:33:30.375
- [Man] Who's gonna pick it up?

00:33:30.375 --> 00:33:31.366
- The Sons of Confederate.

00:33:31.366 --> 00:33:33.283
I've donated it to 'em.

00:33:38.776 --> 00:33:42.443
- No days go by without
something happening.

00:33:48.158 --> 00:33:50.658
Okay, since we were here last,

00:33:53.838 --> 00:33:58.379
you can see where he's been
digging around the monument.

00:33:58.379 --> 00:34:02.928
He's undoubtedly trying
to cause so much chaos

00:34:02.928 --> 00:34:05.345
that somebody will overreact.

00:34:08.076 --> 00:34:12.798
I just don't understand,
I just don't understand.

00:34:12.798 --> 00:34:14.555
(car horns honking)

00:34:14.555 --> 00:34:17.222
(gentle music)

00:34:24.365 --> 00:34:27.986
- They don't give a damn
about their 17th cousin

00:34:27.986 --> 00:34:30.365
that fought in a war.

00:34:30.365 --> 00:34:31.514
They're just thinking that people

00:34:31.514 --> 00:34:34.085
are taking something from them.

00:34:34.085 --> 00:34:38.765
It's just like, the only
white thing we have left.

00:34:38.765 --> 00:34:41.073
This place is still in the 1800s

00:34:41.073 --> 00:34:44.490
and that's the way they want to keep it.

00:34:52.455 --> 00:34:54.245
- I know, it's unfortunate for him,

00:34:54.245 --> 00:34:56.856
but me personally, and
a lot of people I know,

00:34:56.856 --> 00:35:00.164
will not shop here because of this flag.

00:35:00.164 --> 00:35:01.216
- I never stop there,

00:35:01.216 --> 00:35:03.874
and don't plan to as long as
that flag's still up there.

00:35:03.874 --> 00:35:05.776
- If I was him, I'd pick up and leave.

00:35:05.776 --> 00:35:07.193
Let them have it.

00:35:21.154 --> 00:35:24.154
- Now, this looks like our next 8x8.

00:35:25.656 --> 00:35:29.989
Its waiting to, go up on
our flagpole in Orangeburg.

00:35:32.365 --> 00:35:33.695
We got a good source

00:35:33.695 --> 00:35:37.278
but the Chinamen can't
make it fast enough.

00:35:39.994 --> 00:35:43.365
Other people look at it and
they see something else.

00:35:43.365 --> 00:35:48.365
I want people to know that our
ancestors were good people.

00:35:48.994 --> 00:35:51.577
Most of 'em didn't have slaves.

00:35:55.104 --> 00:35:57.525
I've told people all along

00:35:57.525 --> 00:36:00.984
that was the best thing
that ever happened to folks

00:36:00.984 --> 00:36:02.234
that came over.

00:36:03.394 --> 00:36:07.561
They would not be driving
BMW's and Mercedes today

00:36:11.102 --> 00:36:15.045
had their ancestors remained in Africa,

00:36:15.045 --> 00:36:17.855
because their ancestors,

00:36:17.855 --> 00:36:21.845
they would've been eaten by other tribes

00:36:21.845 --> 00:36:24.805
or eaten by lions and tigers.

00:36:24.805 --> 00:36:29.805
I know that ain't politically
correct to say, but it's true.

00:36:30.805 --> 00:36:33.638
(dramatic music)

00:36:59.554 --> 00:37:04.056
- My father had a grocery
store in Washington DC.

00:37:04.056 --> 00:37:08.784
In 1968, I was about 12, my
father was working his store,

00:37:08.784 --> 00:37:11.367
and they were expecting a riot.

00:37:12.296 --> 00:37:15.776
The Black Panthers came in
and asked my father to leave.

00:37:15.776 --> 00:37:18.656
"We don't want you or your
people to get hurt Mr. John.

00:37:18.656 --> 00:37:19.736
Trust us."

00:37:19.736 --> 00:37:21.236
So my father left.

00:37:24.685 --> 00:37:27.895
About 10 o'clock that
night, we get a phone call.

00:37:27.895 --> 00:37:30.395
The store burned to the ground.

00:37:32.656 --> 00:37:34.642
I'll never forget this.

00:37:34.642 --> 00:37:38.205
My father stood in front
of the store and cried.

00:37:38.205 --> 00:37:40.288
My father was a huge man.

00:37:41.814 --> 00:37:46.124
And in the meantime, I saw
black people lining up over here

00:37:46.124 --> 00:37:49.813
and it was like you know, Dad, these guys,

00:37:49.813 --> 00:37:51.253
all these people are lining up.

00:37:51.253 --> 00:37:52.633
My father said, "I know them people.

00:37:52.633 --> 00:37:54.074
We don't have to worry about that."

00:37:54.074 --> 00:37:55.514
So the first one walked to my dad

00:37:55.514 --> 00:37:57.325
and said "Big John, I owe you money

00:37:57.325 --> 00:37:59.205
and I'd like to pay you."

00:37:59.205 --> 00:38:02.463
My father said "Ma'am I have
no idea how much you owe me.

00:38:02.463 --> 00:38:04.205
It all burned in the store."

00:38:04.205 --> 00:38:06.864
And she said "I think it's
12 dollars and some cents."

00:38:06.864 --> 00:38:07.697
She paid him.

00:38:07.697 --> 00:38:10.323
Within minutes, a line grew

00:38:10.323 --> 00:38:13.073
and the people paid my dad money.

00:38:15.053 --> 00:38:16.634
And we left.

00:38:16.634 --> 00:38:20.884
And my father never had a
racist bone in his body.

00:38:27.451 --> 00:38:29.784
I wanted people to know that
I'm not no racist *******

00:38:29.784 --> 00:38:32.534
standing there holding that flag.

00:38:47.338 --> 00:38:48.486
- [Reporter] This morning new details

00:38:48.486 --> 00:38:50.477
over a dispute over the Confederate flag

00:38:50.477 --> 00:38:52.608
flying near an Orangeburg restaurant

00:38:52.608 --> 00:38:55.189
is unfolding before a circuit court judge.

00:38:55.189 --> 00:38:57.856
(gentle music)

00:38:59.728 --> 00:39:02.949
- We are continuing here at
an appellate hearing today.

00:39:02.949 --> 00:39:06.689
I'm standing before a
Martin Luther King Jr. quote

00:39:06.689 --> 00:39:09.988
which says "Injustice anywhere
is an injustice everywhere."

00:39:09.988 --> 00:39:12.727
And I feel that too on my heart.

00:39:12.727 --> 00:39:16.487
There's a real assault on
our traditions, our history,

00:39:16.487 --> 00:39:18.865
and particularly the Confederacy.

00:39:18.865 --> 00:39:22.198
- Anybody else here for jury duty?

00:39:26.253 --> 00:39:29.341
- Tommy Daras vs. the City of Orangeburg.

00:39:29.341 --> 00:39:31.351
- When I ride by there
and I see that flag,

00:39:31.351 --> 00:39:34.773
I think about the fact that as
a kid I used to ride by there

00:39:34.773 --> 00:39:36.459
and be afraid.

00:39:36.459 --> 00:39:39.509
This is not a challenge to
just a flag and a flagpole.

00:39:39.509 --> 00:39:43.001
We are challenging the
underlying use of the property.

00:39:43.001 --> 00:39:45.453
And now as a man, I get to ride by there

00:39:45.453 --> 00:39:49.536
and think I could play a
role to make it go away.

00:39:50.561 --> 00:39:52.811
That's a pretty dope dream.

00:39:55.989 --> 00:39:58.150
- [Reporter] So the judge,
she's gonna review it?

00:39:58.150 --> 00:39:59.602
- She's gonna go through

00:39:59.602 --> 00:40:01.092
the argument that was made today.

00:40:01.092 --> 00:40:03.994
She's gonna look at the
record that's up on appeal,

00:40:03.994 --> 00:40:05.762
and then she's gonna reach her decision.

00:40:05.762 --> 00:40:08.429
So now we're gonna have to wait.

00:40:10.274 --> 00:40:12.781
- [Buzz] Sometimes I wonder if ole Maurice

00:40:12.781 --> 00:40:15.442
wasn't up there chuckling.

00:40:15.442 --> 00:40:16.922
Look at Buzz.

00:40:16.922 --> 00:40:19.525
He's catching hell down there.

00:40:19.525 --> 00:40:21.108
He's doing all right.

00:40:26.714 --> 00:40:29.365
- [Reporter] It's hard to
miss Maurice's Barbecue.

00:40:29.365 --> 00:40:31.585
There is the enormous sign in front.

00:40:31.585 --> 00:40:33.495
The big Confederate flag.

00:40:33.495 --> 00:40:35.866
Go inside the restaurant

00:40:35.866 --> 00:40:39.146
and you'll find conservative
political and religious tracks

00:40:39.146 --> 00:40:40.762
written by various authors,

00:40:40.762 --> 00:40:43.476
including one claiming blacks were blessed

00:40:43.476 --> 00:40:46.135
to have been brought
to America in slavery.

00:40:46.135 --> 00:40:49.087
Owner Maurice Bessinger
insists that he's not a racist

00:40:49.087 --> 00:40:51.206
but offers no apology.

00:40:51.206 --> 00:40:52.940
He won't back down, he says.

00:40:52.940 --> 00:40:54.832
The flag will still fly.

00:40:54.832 --> 00:40:58.563
There's nothing wrong, he says,
"With practicing free speech

00:40:58.563 --> 00:41:00.951
while serving up barbecue."

00:41:00.951 --> 00:41:03.618
(gentle music)

00:41:07.262 --> 00:41:10.429
- The famous Maurice Bessinger, Senior.

00:41:12.294 --> 00:41:16.092
Your hair was darker last time I saw ya.

00:41:16.092 --> 00:41:18.054
You did the barbecue meat and the-

00:41:18.054 --> 00:41:20.573
- [Paul] Oh yeah, I do all
the cooking over there.

00:41:20.573 --> 00:41:23.363
- Another big confusion
down there in Orangeburg.

00:41:23.363 --> 00:41:24.196
- Right.

00:41:24.196 --> 00:41:27.476
- About the piece of property
that Rivers Bridge owns.

00:41:27.476 --> 00:41:29.175
- [Paul] River Bridges' piece of property.

00:41:29.175 --> 00:41:32.146
Well, in my opinion, he
stirred things up himself.

00:41:32.146 --> 00:41:33.044
- [Buzz] Oh yeah.

00:41:33.044 --> 00:41:35.044
- He took sides himself.

00:41:36.494 --> 00:41:40.084
He should've just sat
there and served good food

00:41:40.084 --> 00:41:40.917
and talked to people

00:41:40.917 --> 00:41:42.893
and not worried about it, stirring it up.

00:41:42.893 --> 00:41:43.726
- Like I say.

00:41:43.726 --> 00:41:46.402
I wish the man could've
made a good living there.

00:41:46.402 --> 00:41:47.746
- Yeah, I do too.

00:41:47.746 --> 00:41:51.415
I'm not taking sides with
anybody against anything.

00:41:51.415 --> 00:41:53.284
All I'm tryna do is
serve good barbecue here.

00:41:53.284 --> 00:41:54.396
- [Buzz] Yeah.

00:41:54.396 --> 00:41:56.053
- That's all we wanna
do is serve good food.

00:41:56.053 --> 00:41:57.353
- [Buzz] That's good.

00:41:57.353 --> 00:41:58.472
- We love everybody.

00:41:58.472 --> 00:42:00.259
- [Buzz] Now your daddy
wouldn't stay away from it.

00:42:00.259 --> 00:42:02.278
- Everybody's different.

00:42:02.278 --> 00:42:03.111
Times have changed.

00:42:03.111 --> 00:42:06.950
And we don't take sides on
anything else politically.

00:42:06.950 --> 00:42:10.089
- Even before Mr. Maurice passed on,

00:42:10.089 --> 00:42:14.248
the Bessinger family took down the flags,

00:42:14.248 --> 00:42:16.529
and removed the literature

00:42:16.529 --> 00:42:19.718
pertaining to the southern heritage.

00:42:19.718 --> 00:42:21.899
They wanted to be successful

00:42:21.899 --> 00:42:26.399
and they decided that that
was what they needed to do.

00:42:28.718 --> 00:42:31.238
All the other flags had been taken down

00:42:31.238 --> 00:42:33.419
at the other restaurants.

00:42:33.419 --> 00:42:37.708
So, I reckon we kinda
honoring Maurice too,

00:42:37.708 --> 00:42:39.517
along with our ancestors.

00:42:39.517 --> 00:42:43.017
(gentle music continues)

00:42:52.858 --> 00:42:54.522
- The Sons of Confederate Veterans

00:42:54.522 --> 00:42:57.361
have staunch feelings about the fact that

00:42:57.361 --> 00:43:00.173
some of their ancestors
fought in the Civil War

00:43:00.173 --> 00:43:01.840
for the Confederacy.

00:43:02.794 --> 00:43:07.114
But if you were to give
half of those members

00:43:07.114 --> 00:43:08.444
the original documents

00:43:08.444 --> 00:43:11.524
of South Carolina seceding from the Union,

00:43:11.524 --> 00:43:14.255
most of them, probably
either, haven't read it,

00:43:14.255 --> 00:43:17.004
refuse to read it because
they know what it says,

00:43:17.004 --> 00:43:19.004
or will read it and say,

00:43:21.023 --> 00:43:23.903
"yeah but that's not
why my ancestor fought."

00:43:23.903 --> 00:43:27.070
(indistinct chatter)

00:43:35.756 --> 00:43:38.374
- I'm not gonna say that slavery was not

00:43:38.374 --> 00:43:41.105
in any way, shape, or form,

00:43:41.105 --> 00:43:44.605
involved in the decisions about secession.

00:43:49.174 --> 00:43:53.236
But those men did not leave
their family and their home

00:43:53.236 --> 00:43:55.986
and their warm bed to go to fight

00:43:56.894 --> 00:43:59.394
so somebody could own a slave.

00:44:02.545 --> 00:44:04.926
"Declaration of the immediate causes

00:44:04.926 --> 00:44:08.825
which induce and justify the
secession of South Carolina

00:44:08.825 --> 00:44:10.572
from the Federal Union.

00:44:10.572 --> 00:44:12.195
(cannon fires)

00:44:12.195 --> 00:44:16.528
A geographical line has
been drawn across the Union,

00:44:17.585 --> 00:44:21.054
and all the states north
of that line have united

00:44:21.054 --> 00:44:23.006
in the election of a man

00:44:23.006 --> 00:44:26.812
to the high office of
President of the United States,

00:44:26.812 --> 00:44:31.062
whose opinions and purposes
are hostile to slavery.

00:44:34.463 --> 00:44:35.945
The slave-holding states

00:44:35.945 --> 00:44:39.326
will no longer have the
power of self-government,

00:44:39.326 --> 00:44:44.326
and the federal government will
have to become their enemy."

00:44:44.436 --> 00:44:47.436
(cannon fires)

00:44:47.436 --> 00:44:50.019
If you wanting to come at me and say

00:44:51.105 --> 00:44:53.855
that it sole purpose was slavery,

00:44:54.916 --> 00:44:57.499
so be it if that's your desire.

00:44:59.014 --> 00:45:03.931
But, if we agree to disagree,
that'll be alright, you know.

00:45:05.046 --> 00:45:09.296
'Cause I admitted that
slavery played a part in it.

00:45:10.236 --> 00:45:14.911
Slavery was a factor, but there
was other things involved.

00:45:14.911 --> 00:45:19.578
- If you stand for an institution
that supported slavery

00:45:23.149 --> 00:45:27.816
and you don't denounce that,
and you chose to ignore it,

00:45:29.069 --> 00:45:33.402
I think that implicitly
means that somewhere in you,

00:45:34.383 --> 00:45:36.133
you are okay with it.

00:45:39.051 --> 00:45:41.468
(soft music)

00:45:48.743 --> 00:45:49.812
- [Reporter] New developments tonight.

00:45:49.812 --> 00:45:52.441
A circuit court judge agrees
that the Confederate flag

00:45:52.441 --> 00:45:54.863
in front of the Edisto River Creamery,

00:45:54.863 --> 00:45:59.193
does not violate the city of
Orangeburg's zoning ordinance.

00:45:59.193 --> 00:46:02.051
The owner of the Edisto creamery now says,

00:46:02.051 --> 00:46:04.153
because it affects his business,

00:46:04.153 --> 00:46:07.743
he closed that shop and is now selling it.

00:46:07.743 --> 00:46:10.326
(gentle music)

00:46:11.303 --> 00:46:14.303
- Here's my closed down little store

00:46:15.263 --> 00:46:16.513
It is all gone.

00:46:18.823 --> 00:46:21.490
It's not comfortable to be here.

00:46:22.340 --> 00:46:24.038
- I feel sorry for him.

00:46:24.038 --> 00:46:26.260
I think that people couldn't differentiate

00:46:26.260 --> 00:46:28.870
between this property being someone else

00:46:28.870 --> 00:46:30.729
and this property being the Creamery.

00:46:30.729 --> 00:46:32.030
- I think it's sad,

00:46:32.030 --> 00:46:35.849
because nothing that plants
there is going to be successful

00:46:35.849 --> 00:46:38.078
as long as that is not solved.

00:46:38.078 --> 00:46:41.578
(gentle music continues)

00:47:01.578 --> 00:47:03.060
- I do feel like I've been pushed out.

00:47:03.060 --> 00:47:05.550
Actually, I know I've been pushed out.

00:47:05.550 --> 00:47:08.372
If you look on a lot of the
Facebook pages and stuff

00:47:08.372 --> 00:47:09.310
they'll say, "Well good.

00:47:09.310 --> 00:47:11.881
Those Yankees need to go back home."

00:47:11.881 --> 00:47:14.940
If we lost the battle, we lost the battle.

00:47:14.940 --> 00:47:16.801
We'll never lose the war in our hearts

00:47:16.801 --> 00:47:19.841
because we knew exactly what happened

00:47:19.841 --> 00:47:21.382
when they put that bigger flag up

00:47:21.382 --> 00:47:23.520
when the people were killed in Charleston.

00:47:23.520 --> 00:47:25.981
We knew exactly what was going on,

00:47:25.981 --> 00:47:28.148
and that wasn't our heart.

00:47:30.469 --> 00:47:32.129
- [Tommy] We're gonna put
the motor back here, right?

00:47:32.129 --> 00:47:32.962
- [Man] Yeah
- We can put the

00:47:32.962 --> 00:47:35.558
junior dragster right there.

00:47:35.558 --> 00:47:39.278
Now that it's closed, and
it's over, I'm very relieved.

00:47:39.278 --> 00:47:40.416
Debbie and Katie can go through all that,

00:47:40.416 --> 00:47:42.657
and throw away what they don't want.

00:47:42.657 --> 00:47:45.148
- [Interviewer] Has your
opinion changed about the flag

00:47:45.148 --> 00:47:48.017
going through this experience?

00:47:48.017 --> 00:47:49.938
- Well yeah, because I learned
a whole lot more about it.

00:47:49.938 --> 00:47:52.438
I educated myself on the flag.

00:47:53.798 --> 00:47:58.733
I still feel good with
southern heritage and history.

00:47:58.733 --> 00:48:02.713
But the Confederate flag flying
at Edisto River Creamery,

00:48:02.713 --> 00:48:04.713
it's a total hate group.

00:48:06.334 --> 00:48:08.833
At the end of the day, getting
my family away from here

00:48:08.833 --> 00:48:11.204
and moving back to
familiar people and places

00:48:11.204 --> 00:48:12.982
is just a plus, plus.

00:48:12.982 --> 00:48:13.982
Shop closed!

00:48:14.888 --> 00:48:16.088
- [Debbie] Shop is closed, huh?

00:48:16.088 --> 00:48:18.026
- This shop is closed.

00:48:18.026 --> 00:48:20.359
(car horns)

00:48:23.997 --> 00:48:26.098
- Our success in Orangeburg

00:48:26.098 --> 00:48:29.265
has inspired other people to stand up.

00:48:31.408 --> 00:48:33.055
- Everybody else is taking 'em down,

00:48:33.055 --> 00:48:35.284
and we're putting 'em up. So.

00:48:35.284 --> 00:48:36.713
- Yeah.

00:48:36.713 --> 00:48:40.652
- Today, we're raising the
first Confederate battle flag

00:48:40.652 --> 00:48:43.303
on I-95 in South Carolina.

00:48:43.303 --> 00:48:46.053
(crowd cheering)

00:48:47.654 --> 00:48:50.431
(indistinct chatter)

00:48:50.431 --> 00:48:55.431
- When a liberal, also known
as libtard, comes down the road

00:48:57.031 --> 00:49:00.448
and it offends them to see a battle flag,

00:49:02.063 --> 00:49:04.503
that's what we want.

00:49:04.503 --> 00:49:08.023
Because they don't have anything
to do with our heritage.

00:49:08.023 --> 00:49:12.941
They can have their heritage,
we want to keep ours.

00:49:12.941 --> 00:49:14.769
- [Interviewer] Do you worry
that there will be a day

00:49:14.769 --> 00:49:19.186
when the Confederate flag
does not fly in Orangeburg?

00:49:20.948 --> 00:49:23.865
(Buzz smacks lips)

00:49:25.211 --> 00:49:26.294
- Ahhh, yeah.

00:49:30.501 --> 00:49:33.421
How can you help not to worry about it?

00:49:33.421 --> 00:49:38.421
I don't dwell on it, but there
are times when, I can foresee

00:49:39.581 --> 00:49:44.581
and I worry about that there
may not be a Confederate Flag

00:49:45.133 --> 00:49:47.800
flying in the city of Orangeburg

00:49:49.741 --> 00:49:52.824
or the majority of the United States.

00:49:54.053 --> 00:49:55.901
(dramatic music)

00:49:55.901 --> 00:49:56.853
- [Protester] No Justice!

00:49:56.853 --> 00:49:57.795
- [Protesters] Police!

00:49:57.795 --> 00:49:58.744
- [Protester] No Justice!

00:49:58.744 --> 00:49:59.795
- [Protesters] No Peace!

00:49:59.795 --> 00:50:00.755
- [Protester] No Justice!

00:50:00.755 --> 00:50:01.762
- [Protesters] Police!

00:50:01.762 --> 00:50:02.782
- [Protester] No Justice!

00:50:02.782 --> 00:50:03.642
- [Protesters] No Peace!

00:50:03.642 --> 00:50:04.612
- [Reporter] Anger, frustration,

00:50:04.612 --> 00:50:06.984
pouring into the Streets of America.

00:50:06.984 --> 00:50:08.551
- [Protesters] George Floyd!

00:50:08.551 --> 00:50:09.704
- [Reporter] Huge numbers of people

00:50:09.704 --> 00:50:13.093
coming out in every single
state in the country,

00:50:13.093 --> 00:50:16.071
standing together to say this
is not acceptable anymore.

00:50:16.071 --> 00:50:17.711
Black lives matter.

00:50:17.711 --> 00:50:19.080
- [Protesters] Black Lives Matter!

00:50:19.080 --> 00:50:20.511
Black Lives Matter!

00:50:20.511 --> 00:50:21.610
Black Lives Matter!

00:50:21.610 --> 00:50:23.442
- [Reporter] African
American Ahmaud Arbery

00:50:23.442 --> 00:50:24.390
is seen running.

00:50:24.390 --> 00:50:25.359
(gun fires)

00:50:25.359 --> 00:50:26.192
- [Protester] No Justice!

00:50:26.192 --> 00:50:27.254
- [Protesters] No Peace!

00:50:27.254 --> 00:50:28.203
- [Protester] No Justice!

00:50:28.203 --> 00:50:29.036
- [Protesters] No Peace!

00:50:29.036 --> 00:50:31.153
- [Reporter] George
Floyd repeatedly cried,

00:50:31.153 --> 00:50:32.835
"My neck hurts, and I can't breathe."

00:50:32.835 --> 00:50:34.157
- [Protesters] I can't breathe!

00:50:34.157 --> 00:50:35.727
I can't breathe!

00:50:35.727 --> 00:50:38.015
- [Reporter] Breonna
Taylor shot eight times

00:50:38.015 --> 00:50:40.325
and killed by police.

00:50:40.325 --> 00:50:41.158
(gun shots)
(indistinct)

00:50:41.158 --> 00:50:42.649
- [Protesters] Don't shoot!
- [Protester] Hands up!

00:50:42.649 --> 00:50:44.690
- [Protesters] Don't shoot!
- [Protester] Hands up!

00:50:44.690 --> 00:50:45.523
- [Protesters] Don't shoot!

00:50:45.523 --> 00:50:47.768
- [Reporter] In South Carolina
and all across the nation,

00:50:47.768 --> 00:50:49.659
community members have been challenging

00:50:49.659 --> 00:50:52.520
their local and state
governments to take down

00:50:52.520 --> 00:50:53.353
Confederate statues.
- [Protester] What do we want?

00:50:53.353 --> 00:50:54.338
- [Protesters] Justice!

00:50:54.338 --> 00:50:55.327
- [Protester] When do we want it?

00:50:55.327 --> 00:50:56.326
- [Protesters] Now!

00:50:56.326 --> 00:50:57.188
- [Protester] What do we want?

00:50:57.188 --> 00:50:58.240
- [Protesters] Justice!

00:50:58.240 --> 00:50:59.148
- [Protester] When do we want it?

00:50:59.148 --> 00:50:59.981
- [Protesters] Now!

00:50:59.981 --> 00:51:01.750
- [Protester] What do we want?
- [Protesters] Justice!

00:51:01.750 --> 00:51:03.507
- [Reporter] Today at
noon city council members

00:51:03.507 --> 00:51:05.857
in Orangeburg will vote on a resolution

00:51:05.857 --> 00:51:07.587
to remove a Confederate statue.

00:51:07.587 --> 00:51:09.518
- [Reporter] During the
protest outside City Hall,

00:51:09.518 --> 00:51:12.337
members want the 127 year
old Confederate statue

00:51:12.337 --> 00:51:13.937
at Courthouse Square removed.

00:51:13.937 --> 00:51:17.106
- When people say it's our
heritage, it's not my heritage.

00:51:17.106 --> 00:51:20.655
When I think of Confederate
anything, I'm in fear.

00:51:20.655 --> 00:51:22.129
(gentle music)

00:51:22.129 --> 00:51:24.377
It's been one of those things
where you can't talk about it

00:51:24.377 --> 00:51:26.247
or you don't say anything about it.

00:51:26.247 --> 00:51:30.569
But we're now in a time
where we have the voice.

00:51:30.569 --> 00:51:31.787
We are here today,

00:51:31.787 --> 00:51:34.217
because of course the mayor
and city council are meeting

00:51:34.217 --> 00:51:37.897
on the resolution in
regards to the statue.

00:51:37.897 --> 00:51:40.507
- We just hope that the city will remove

00:51:40.507 --> 00:51:42.427
the statue from downtown square

00:51:42.427 --> 00:51:45.105
along with renaming John C. Calhoun Drive.

00:51:45.105 --> 00:51:47.140
We live in this community.

00:51:47.140 --> 00:51:48.140
- Where do you live?

00:51:48.140 --> 00:51:48.973
- I live in Orangeburg.

00:51:48.973 --> 00:51:52.453
- Those symbols are a part of the symbol

00:51:52.453 --> 00:51:54.965
of the oppression against my people.

00:51:54.965 --> 00:51:57.373
- Our first goal is to
remove the racist statue

00:51:57.373 --> 00:51:59.984
and racist street names in Orangeburg.

00:51:59.984 --> 00:52:03.725
And then of course the
Confederate flag at the Creamery

00:52:03.725 --> 00:52:05.216
- We've called the mayor's office,

00:52:05.216 --> 00:52:07.193
we've called the city council members.

00:52:07.193 --> 00:52:10.944
- [Justin] I'm excited to see
what's going on in Orangeburg.

00:52:10.944 --> 00:52:13.843
We're seeing people who want change.

00:52:13.843 --> 00:52:15.293
And they're not asking for change anymore.

00:52:15.293 --> 00:52:17.043
They're demanding it.

00:52:18.780 --> 00:52:19.821
As we continue,

00:52:19.821 --> 00:52:22.591
we've got to do a much
better job collectively

00:52:22.591 --> 00:52:25.683
of being willing to fight the fight

00:52:25.683 --> 00:52:29.573
when it ain't the popular thing to do.

00:52:29.573 --> 00:52:32.861
And if we can keep doing
that, keep pushing for change,

00:52:32.861 --> 00:52:36.141
and we can keep standing up to people

00:52:36.141 --> 00:52:40.483
who stand behind institutions
of bigotry, and hate,

00:52:40.483 --> 00:52:45.483
and slavery under the guise
of heritage, we'll get there.

00:52:45.792 --> 00:52:49.292
(gentle music continues)

00:52:51.070 --> 00:52:54.432
And I look forward to the
day when I jump in my car

00:52:54.432 --> 00:52:55.973
and come into Orangeburg,

00:52:55.973 --> 00:52:58.613
that Confederate flag's
no longer flying there.

00:52:58.613 --> 00:53:02.030
(gentle music continues)

00:53:37.329 --> 00:53:38.694
(upbeat music)

00:53:38.694 --> 00:53:41.361
(woman humming)