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Valatie business criticized for flying Confederate flag
Jul 19, 2015 12:03 am
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Inside of Shooters store in Valatie, from store website.[/caption]Emilia Teasdale reports in The Columbia Paper that Shooters, a Valatie-based sporting goods and gun shop, is flying a Confederate battle flag in front of the store, and that led to complaints at a July 14 town meeting. Deborah Marinelli called flying the flag a “public safety issue,” and said having the flag was intimidating to the African-American tenants in her building, just across from the shop. But the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution allows for free speech, so there is nothing the town can do. “I don’t know what we can do to a private business owner,” said Board member Dave Williams. Valatie holds it next Village Board meeting at 7 p.m. Tue., Aug. 11 in the Martin H. Glynn Municipal Center. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.
Inside of Shooters store in Valatie, from store website.[/caption]Emilia Teasdale reports in The Columbia Paper that Shooters, a Valatie-based sporting goods and gun shop, is flying a Confederate battle flag in front of the store, and that led to complaints at a July 14 town meeting. Deborah Marinelli called flying the flag a “public safety issue,” and said having the flag was intimidating to the African-American tenants in her building, just across from the shop. But the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution allows for free speech, so there is nothing the town can do. “I don’t know what we can do to a private business owner,” said Board member Dave Williams. Valatie holds it next Village Board meeting at 7 p.m. Tue., Aug. 11 in the Martin H. Glynn Municipal Center. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.