Thursday Alabama Today reported about the momentum of a petition calling for Gov. Robert Bentley to restore the Confederate flag. Less than 24 hours ago the post had 8,393 signatures. As of noon Friday the petition had almost 16,500 signatures.
The governor has received mixed reactions, including praise from State Rep. Alvin Holmes who previously has sued the state to have the state remove the flag, and disappointment from voters and the state auditor. The Montgomery Advertiser reported Holmes called the flag “part of the ugly history of America.”
According to the article he went on to say, “It represented slavery (and) it represented a defunct sovereign, a nation that had attempted to overthrow the United States government.”
State Auditor Jim Zeigler in a strongly worded release called the Bentley’s action a “deceptive political move.”
In an email to Alabama Today, petition creator Phillip Giddens wrote, “We our now over 15.000 signatures and will not stop till our heritage is safe and left alone.”
A spokesman for Bentley’s office said they had no comment on the petition.
Some of the comments directed to the Governor of those signing the petition include:
