Some Angry Over Confederate Flag Flying High in SC Community

HARTSVILLE, S.C. (WPDE) – A massive Confederate flag flying high on Highway 151 in the Pine Ridge community of Hartsville has upset some area residents.

The 20-foot by 30-foot flag is flying on a 100-foot pole.

Jason Moore said he can’t believe someone would even want to fly the flag during these times.

“For someone to take that kind of flag and put it up as high as he did, in plain view where everybody can see it, it’s nothing but hate. And, it doesn’t make sense during this time and age that people will do something like that. It isn’t right. All you’re doing is stirring up a whole bunch of trouble for nothing,” said Moore.

Ronnie Vann said he leased his land for just $1 a year to the Southern Heritage Group to fly the flag.

Vann said he’s a member of the Confederate Patriots of America and knows the true history of the Confederate flag.

“I can lease it to who I want to, and I knew what they was gonna do. But I leased it to them for $1 a year. It’s not a money-making deal. You know, they wanted some place to put the flag up, and I said, ‘That’ll be fine,'” he said. “It’s not up for hatred. I just feel like it’s a part of our history and that’s why I had it put up, as part of our history.”

Vann said they’re not in any violation of the law.

“It’s already been approved through the court. We got a lawyer and everything else. You know, there’s no ordinance against the flag, no ordinance or anything,” he said.

Kam Harrell with the Southern Heritage Group said they’re not flying the flag to cause trouble, but rather to teach people the true history of the flag.

Harrell said the history has nothing to do with hate.

Vann’s daughter, Amanda Rhoad, said all of the hate is coming from people who don’t understand what the flag really means.

“I’ve got a lot of hate messages behind the keyboard, behind social media – nothing face to face. My dad has flown the flag at his store much smaller for a year. No one ever had a problem with it. It has caused some commotion and some confusion. Folks think that it’s got a lot to do with hate. It’s not. We don’t hate anybody. That flag doesn’t hate anybody,” said Rhoad.

Vann said there are surveillance cameras around the flag pole and they plan to install lights around it later this week.