After Being Taken Down, The State Flag Is Back Flying At Pontotoc City Hall

PONTOTOC, Miss. (WCBI)- After being down for 6 weeks, the state flag is back flying again at Pontotoc City Hall.

Six weeks ago Pontotoc Mayor Bob Peoples lowered Mississippi’s state flag from City Hall.

That decision caused a lot of controversy around town, so on Monday city leaders called a special meeting to decide the fate of the flag

In a 4 to 1 vote the Board of Alderman voted to return the flag to its pole..

Mayor Peeples said he’s disappointed with the decision, and that he removed the state flag because he thought it gave the city of Pontotoc a bad look.

Residents had mixed opinions on the matter.

Some were upset about the mayor’s decision to remove the flag without telling anyone, while others applauded the move.

“I’m a businessman from Pontotoc, I have been running a business for 37 years and I wouldn’t fly something at my business that disenfranchises or upsets people from coming in,” said Mayor Peeples. “The city is a business and I just thought it wasn’t in the best interest that we flew that flag.”

“It’s been a battle and a fight because of the Confederate battle flag emblem being on the flag because a lot of people, there’s a bunch of people that are relating that to racism, and slavery, and things that it’s not pertained to,” said Bryant Hargroue, who was in favor of the state flag being reinstated. “That’s part of heritage and it’s part of history if people would just read and learn they would learn the difference.”

The flag is at half staff to honor the victims of last week’s school shooting in Florida.

There’s still no word yet on when it’ll go back to full staff.