{"id":65778,"date":"2019-07-05T15:09:53","date_gmt":"2019-07-05T21:09:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/confederate-float-in-bayfields-fourth-of-july-parade-stirs-controversy\/"},"modified":"2019-07-05T21:09:53","modified_gmt":"2019-07-05T21:09:53","slug":"confederate-float-in-bayfields-fourth-of-july-parade-stirs-controversy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/confederate-float-in-bayfields-fourth-of-july-parade-stirs-controversy\/","title":{"rendered":"Confederate float in Bayfield\u2019s Fourth of July parade stirs controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"A
A float with the Confederate flag has participated in Bayfield\u2019s Fourth of July parade for the past couple years. Bayfield town officials say First Amendment rights protect a group that organizes a float to support Confederate heritage.<\/span>Courtesy of Facebook<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

A float at the Bayfield Fourth of July parade promoting the Confederate flag caused a bit of a stir Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just appalled,\u201d said Robin Goldman, who has lived in Bayfield for 15 years. \u201cThere should be no racism in today\u2019s society \u2026 but unfortunately, there is.\u201d<\/p>\n

The group that organized the float donned with the controversial flag is known as the Rocky Mountain Confederate Conservation<\/a>. Several people associated with the group did not respond Friday to requests seeking comment for this article.<\/p>\n

According to its Facebook page<\/a>, the group says it does not support \u201cviolence, racism or hate against any persons.\u201d Instead, the group says it supports Confederate heritage and \u201cpowerful Southern Pride.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe aim to protect our right to honor those humble veterans who fought with everything they had to protect their homeland and secure themselves as their own nation and defend themselves from tyranny,\u201d the group wrote. \u201cGod Bless the Confederate States of America.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paula Dugger, who lives in Woodland Park, posted to the group\u2019s Facebook page, \u201cWe enjoyed a fun morning participating in the Bayfield 4th of July parade.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a great turnout for the event and we were met with quite a bit of support as we road (sic) through the streets of Bayfield on our float and waved to the crowd (with \u2018Dixie\u2019 playing in the background, of course),\u201d Dugger wrote.<\/p>\n

\"A
A float with the Confederate flag has been participating in Bayfield\u2019s Fourth of July parade for the past couple of years. This year, a group formed in opposition.<\/span>Courtesy of Facebook<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Chris La May, Bayfield\u2019s town manager, said Rocky Mountain Confederate Conservation has participated in the town\u2019s Fourth of July parade for the past couple of years. He said he has received complaints and concerns over the years about the message the float sends, but there\u2019s not much the town can do.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe town doesn\u2019t support the promotion of anything that would be considered racist, but I think we are somewhat limited in what we can and can\u2019t control because of First Amendment rights,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The town of Bayfield doesn\u2019t have protocols or guidelines for groups that host a float in the parade, La May said, and it would put town officials in a tough spot if they rejected a group because of a particular belief or idea it holds.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll look into it and see if there\u2019s more we can do, but I don\u2019t know \u2013 because it\u2019s an event on a public street by a public entity \u2013 that we have the ability to limit some of the graphics, letters and symbols that are used by individual participants,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Brennan Morlan, with the Bayfield Chamber of Commerce, wrote in an email, \u201cOur organization is filled with many people, all with different views so we take no stance as a chamber either for or against that incident.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Rocky
Rocky Mountain Confederate Conservation has nearly 700 followers on Facebook who say they support and promote the heritage of the Confederacy.<\/span>Courtesy of Facebook<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

In past years, Rocky Mountain Confederate Conservation\u2019s float went unchecked, but this year, a handful of Bayfield residents formed a group to join the parade and counter the hateful and racist ideas surrounding the Confederate symbol, said Sarah Goldman (no relation to Robin Goldman), one of the organizers.<\/p>\n

The Confederate flag, as well as historic monuments to the Confederacy, have come under intense scrutiny in recent years as symbols that reflect racism and slavery, often used by white-supremacist groups.<\/p>\n

\"A
A group of Bayfield residents formed to counter a float in the Bayfield Fourth of July parade that donned Confederate flags.<\/span>Courtesy of Sarah Goldman<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cWhile everyone has the right to their own voice, we do not want that voice to become the voice of our town,\u201d she said. \u201cWe want all people to feel welcome here, no matter their race, orientation or place of origin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah Goldman said the incident has prompted a larger conversation in the community a few miles east of Durango.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are aware that there has been a history of racism in Bayfield, and we will do everything we can to prevent that history from repeating itself,\u201d she said. \u201cThis movement began as a float, but we have plans to open a dialogue within our community addressing racism and the undercurrents that still exist within our society.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robin Goldman estimated there were about eight people on the Rocky Mountain Confederate Conservation float. About 30 to 35 people showed up for the opposition group, which directly followed the Rocky Mountain Confederate Conservation\u2019s float. The two groups remained civil throughout the event, Robin Goldman said.<\/p>\n

Rocky Mountain Confederate Conservation formed around 2015 and has nearly 700 followers on Facebook. The group regularly holds Confederate \u201cflag rides\u201d in an attempt to promote the history of the seven slaveholding states that seceded from the U.S. in the 1860s.<\/p>\n

One member, Rosalee Reed, told The Durango Herald<\/em> before a flag ride in 2016 that the Confederate flag is misunderstood.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few people have taken a symbol of pride and heritage and have used it for their own agendas and have swayed the public opinion on it,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m trying to get people to realize and see that it\u2019s not a symbol of hate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Upon hearing word of the flag ride, more than 60 people showed up at the La Plata County Fairgrounds to protest. As a result, Rocky Mountain Confederate Conservation changed its planned route.<\/p>\n

\u201cLadies and gentlemen, as we have received quite a surprising amount of intolerance and threats for expressing our opinions, we will be changing the course, as well as the starting point, of our ride,\u201d member Thomas Apperson wrote on Facebook at the time.<\/p>\n

jromeo@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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