The California legislature
yesterday approved A.B.
2444, which restricts the state government’s use of the
Confederate flag.
From the bill, which now heads to the desk of Gov. Jery
Brown:
This bill would prohibit the State of California from selling or
displaying the Battle Flag of the Confederacy, or a similar image,
or tangible personal property inscribed with those images, unless
the image appears in a book, digital medium, or state museum
that serves an educational or historical purpose.
Brown will almost certainly sign it, since the measure passed
the assembly 71-1. The senate approved it 33-2 earlier in the
week.
The only dissenting voice in the assembly was Tim Donnelly
(R-Twin Peaks), who previously
explained on Facebook, “I abhor racism but this bill is
antithetical to the first amendment, which was designed to protect
controversial forms of speech.”
He also
stated to the Los Angeles Times, “I’m a strict
Constitutionalist. It’s painful and lonely.”
Isadore Hall III (D-Compton), who introduced the
legislation, says that it is not a free speech violation, and is
intended to limit government. The bill “respects Constitutional
protections by restricting government speech, not individual
speech, and will send a strong message that California and its
taxpayers will not be in the business of promoting racism,
exclusion, oppression or violence towards others.”
In a press release, he
said:
The Confederate Flag is a symbol of racism, exclusion,
oppression and violence towards many Americans. Its symbolism and
history is directly linked to the enslavement, torture and murder
of millions of Americans through the mid-19th Century. Even today,
its public display is designed only to instill fear, intimidation
and a direct threat of violence towards others.
The Huffington Post
notes that “last month, Brown had all Confederate flag
materials swiftly removed from the California State Fair after
Hall brought their increased presence to his attention.”
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