This couple is surprised the flag wasn't warmly received while driving through black neighborhoods in Virginia.
Confederate flag supporters held a rally over the weekend to proudly display the controversial symbol, driving through cities across the South to show off their heritage. One such rally took the participants through Petersburg City, Virginia, where
77.8% of residents are black. Needless to say, residents were not happy about the rally through Petersburg City and they lined the streets in protest, shouting at the Confederate flag lovers, and at least one resident lobbed water bottles at a passing truck bearing the Confederate flag and a Gadsden "don't tread on me" flag. The water bottle toss was captured on video:
The driver of the truck and his wife just can't understand why people are upset:
Chris Oliver: There was people protesting, throwing bottles, um, hit my truck and numerous other vehicles. People yellin', yellin' racial slurs.
Angela Oliver: I was mad because we went there peacefully, it was a peaceful ride. And we were met with this. People throwing bottles at our vehicles, our property that we worked for.
To be sure, they do have the right to be jackasses and parade that flag around wherever they want. But, can they really be surprised at the reaction it provoked by driving it through these communities? Florida officials showed some common sense when they
changed their parade route to avoid largely black neighborhoods after residents protested the rally.
Chris Oliver says the words were the most hurtful:
The racial slurs are really what hurt me. It's uncalled for. There's no need for that in today's society.
Interesting. You know what else isn't needed in today's society? A flag that wasn't even flown outside the South Carolina statehouse until 1961 and is widely seen as a
as a symbol of "massive resistance to racial desegregation."
See the interview with the Olivers here.