While South Carolina’s state legislators debated whether to debate taking down the Confederate flag from Statehouse grounds, Alabama’s governor directed the four flags flying over a memorial in his state’s Capitol grounds be removed — and by Wednesday morning they were gone.
“This is the right thing to do,” Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley told AL.com. “We are facing some major issues in this state regarding the budget and other matters that we need to deal with. This had the potential to become a major distraction as we go forward.”
Bentley said his decision was “partially” in response to the Charleston massacre and subsequent public pressure to have the Confederate symbol removed, as well as to avoid drawn-out political fights over the flag. Bentley told AL.com that prior to sending workers out to physically take down the flags, he confirmed there were no state laws or policies that would prevent him from doing so.
