Letter to the Editor: Rev. Floyd Rose

It is my understanding that Eric is on the run, not because he stepped, or walked on the American flag, which was his constitutional right. He is on the run because he brought a gun on campus, hid it in a book bag, etc. When it was learned that the gun belonged to him, he ran. To pretend that he is wanted because of the flag is nonsense.

I have been to jail at least four times, and I never ran or begged for mercy. I was willing to pay the price for the crime that I committed, even though each time I was right, and the charges were dropped. If you are willing to commit acts of civil disobedience, you don’t run. You simply take what is coming to you like a man.

When the young man came to my office and asked me to participate in the protest at VSU, I declined because, while I think they had a right to walk on the flag, it wasn’t right, and I wouldn’t do it. I have a right to step on the Bible, stop it, and burn it on the courthouse steps, but it wouldn’t be right for me to do it. And doing it would mean nothing,and I would gain nothing by doing it. Like so I would urge people to live up to the things for which the flag is suppose to stand, “Freedom and Justice” for all.

The Chief was at my Appreciation Service Friday night, and he mentioned Eric’s case. I believe that Eric had every constitutional right to walk on the flag, stomp it, or burn it. But I don’t think it was right to do it, and I wouldn’t have done it. I also don’t pretend that the American flag has meant to blacks in this country what it has meant to whites, either. I would be dishonest if I pretended that it does.

When the KKK was riding through our neighborhoods at night, they called themselves Christians, and many of them sported the American flag. But the truth is, they didn’t represent the things for which the flag stood: Freedom and Justice for all.

The preceding was posted as submitted by the author – Editor