Albany Police Chief Michael Persley: Confederate flag supporters have First Amendment right

ALBANY — Ward VI Albany City Commissioner Tommie Postell asked Albany Police Department Chief Michael Persley Tuesday for a report on a group that drove vehicles sporting Confederate battle flags through Albany over the weekend, telling the commission the group’s actions “almost caused a race riot.”

Persley said his department had been made aware of the group’s plans by Lee County Sheriff Reggie Rachals, but concerns arose when vehicles “splintered off” from a route the riders had announced they intended to take.

“We had officers along the main roads they’d said they wanted to ride down, but then groups of riders splintered off and went to different parts of the city,” the APD chief said. “There were no problems with the vehicles, and there were no reports of any incidents with them. I told our officers to make sure they followed our traffic laws.

“We welcome anyone who wants to exercise their First Amendment right in Albany, but we ask them to do it peacefully and to obey the law.”

Code Enforcement Chief Officer Nathaniel Norman said the group had contacted him about getting a parade permit for the drive through the community, but when they were informed that the deadline for a weekend parade permit had passed, they “came anyway.”

Postell said the demonstration could have sparked an incident in parts of the community.

“I don’t like this; we can’t permit a racial protest on our city streets, not without a permit,” Postell said. “They could have started a race riot; the person I was with wanted to go after them. There were 30 or 40 trucks and vehicles gathered in the East Albany Walmart, and I got all kinds of calls from people.”

Police officials said the manager of the Walmart outlet called in a complaint when the group gathered in the retailer’s parking lot, but when officers responded and told the group they could not assemble at the store, they left without incident.

Wal-Mart announced in June that it was removing all merchandise with the Confederate flag from its stores and website in the wake of the slayings of nine African Americans during a June 17 evening prayer service at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C. The suspect arrested in the homicides is a self-proclaimed racist who posted on social media photos of himself with Confederate flags, sparking calls for removal of the Confederate battle flag from public properties.

Persley said unofficial reports indicated as many as 100 to 300 vehicles were part of the demonstration, sparked by South Carolina’s July 10 removal of the battle flag from the grounds of its Statehouse.

Ward II City Commissioner Bobby Coleman said officials were making a mistake by overly discussing the ride-through.

“You have clowns being clowns, trying to keep their flag relevant,” Coleman said. “The battle is over; the flag is down. By giving them attention for their demonstration, we’re just helping their cause.”