An Atlanta man, James Daniel Blitch, was arrested on charges of trespassing after attempting to lower a Confederate flag displayed along Interstate 85 south, in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The incident, which happened late Saturday night, resulted in Blitch facing two counts of trespassing, as he was taken into custody by Spartanburg County deputies. Live5News reported that the deputies responded to the scene at approximately 10:30 p.m. Following Blitch's arrest, authorities discovered he had with him multiple tools, including a power tool and drill bits, evidently for the purpose of taking down the flag.
Blitch, 22, reportedly drove nearly three hours from Atlanta for this act of protest. Despite the fence on the property having "No trespassing" signs, climbed by Blitch by scaling a tree, he made his way to the Confederate flag, which stands on land owned by the Spartanburg chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. This flagpole was previously discussed by Spartanburg County officials in 2022, when they deemed it violated county land use ordinances. FOX5 Atlanta noted that despite these concerns, the Board of Zoning Appeals, met in 2023 and voted in favor of allowing the property owners to keep their flag and pole raised.
The Confederate flag, sometimes contentious in its symbolism, carries different meanings among Americans. Many see it as a memorial of Southern heritage and a remnant of the Civil War era. Others contend it is emblematic of racial division and is inexorably linked to America’s legacy of slavery. Groups with white supremacist inclinations, such as the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis, have brandished the flag, further cultivating controversy and calls for its removal from public spaces.
There have been several initiatives in Georgia directed at the removal of Confederate symbols, including flags and statues. In 2023, the Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans filed and then saw dismissed multiple lawsuits aimed at preserving Confederate monuments in various counties. Additionally, efforts by local politicians, like Antonio Lewis, to rename streets that bear dedication to the Confederacy have continued in Atlanta. Moreover, conflict arose over Confederate flags' repositioning within Stone Mountain Park to a less prominent location in 2023, met with legal challenge by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, according to FOX5 Atlanta.
After being detained, Blitch was released from Spartanburg County Detention Center on Sunday afternoon. It is worth noting that this incident was not an isolated one, as officials referenced another vandalism attempt to the same Confederate flag the preceding Friday. The social and legal battles over the Confederate flag’s presence continue to stir debate within communities throughout the South and the country at large.
