Heather Curtis
WMAL
WASHINGTON – (WMAL) The tradition of flying the Confederate flag in Alexandria on Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s birthday in June and Confederate Memorial Day in May has been discontinued after a vote by the Alexandria City Council Tuesday.
“We’re addressing the concern by our own residents and citizens but others that we may have some things that could very well deem to be offensive,” said Mayor Bill Euille
The flag flown on those holidays is not the traditional Confederate flag, but rather an earlier flag with three stripes instead of the X with the stars. Alexandria City Council’s Legislative Director Bernard Caton said most people probably wouldn’t even recognize this older flag as being a symbol of the Confederacy.
Signs of the Confederacy are all over Alexandria. The Appomattox statue of a sad Confederate solider stands above Prince and Washington Streets in Old Town. Removing that statue could be impossible. Alexandria City Council’s Legislative Director Bernard Caton said the Virginia House of Delegates passed a law in 1890 requiring the statue to stay put. There is also a general law that limits what can be done with war memorials from the Civil War and other wars.
“Certainly Alexandria is a historic town, and history is important, not only to us but to everyone. We’re also a tourist town, and we certainly don’t want to do anything that will create an imbalance between our history and tourism,” Euille said.
In addition to the statue, Alexandria has 33 streets named for Confederate generals or military leaders and another 30 that may be named after them. A citizens committee is being put together to look into re-naming the streets, something Caton said would not only inconvenience residents but also cost the city more than $300,000.
Then there’s the Jefferson Davis Highway, which was named after the president of the Confederate States of America. Even though the highway also runs through Arlington County, only the Alexandria City Council has the authority to change its name.
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