And the Struggle Continues

Perhaps Tripp Lewis of the Virginia Flaggers is trying to get a head start on what will hopefully become an annual contest over at Brooks Simpson’s Crossroads blog of the best in Confederate Heritage Follies.  I give the VMFA’s security force a great deal of credit in how they handle Mr. Lewis. For the life of me I don’t know how they keep themselves from laughing hysterically given Lewis’s Confederate soldier costume. The guy is a real hoot.

[Uploaded to YouTube on December 20, 2013]

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11 comments… add one
  • M. E. Martin Dec 27, 2013 @ 8:57

    This is just a continuation of Mr. Lewis’s longtime hobby, described in his own Nov. 3 2012 Facebook posting on Flagger site:
    “Y’all check out the new way to flag the VMFA. …and taunt security … So much fun today for one person to have.”
    Relevant points of Code of Va. that the officers enforce, listed below. There are additional stipulations that follow these re. requirement of written permit, prohibition of blocking walkways, etc. This individual likely knows the entire policy from his previous arrest and court hearings.

    IVAC103-10-30. Procedures.
    2.Museum grounds.
    B. Prohibited activities. No soliciting, pamphleteering, assemblages or the displaying of flags, banners or devices designed or adapted to bring into public notice to any party, organization, or movement shall be permitted within the museum, its grounds or other properties except as provided herein.
    C. Exceptions. With the approval of the director, the prohibitions set forth in subsection B of this section may be suspended by the director to permit meetings, gatherings, or assemblages and the displaying of flags, banners or devices that are not part of a museum-sponsored activity or event, if, in the director’s reasonable discretion, (i) the general enjoyment and use of the museum building, its grounds and other properties are not impaired, (ii) the public visiting the museum of attending an approved function is not disrupted, (iii) the security or condition of the collection or the welfare, health, and safety of visitors and persons performing various duties on the premises are not endangered, and (iv) it does not impose addition expenditure of staff or facilities resources.

  • Bryan Cheeseboro Dec 22, 2013 @ 6:05

    His uniform is all wrong- he should have a belt over his sash. But if he’s not portraying an officer, he shouldn’t have a sash on at all.

    I never understand people who draw attention to themselves and then when people look, they complain, “What the @%&!$ are you looking at?” That’s pretty much what this guy is doing here.

    • Kevin Levin Dec 22, 2013 @ 6:45

      I like that Tripp has his own style.

  • Jo Dec 21, 2013 @ 15:22

    Nice FARBY glasses Tripp

  • Corey Meyer Dec 21, 2013 @ 13:46

    Kevin, posting this video is just fanning the flames…”all they want is to be left alone and be able to honor their confederate ancestors at this Confederate Memorial Chapel…Just leave them alone and there will be no problems… Thank you. See you during our next, regularly scheduled flagging on Wed. and Sat. of each week just like the last two and a half years…”

    What a sad excuse for a Confederate descendant…

  • Victor Mobley Dec 21, 2013 @ 11:15

    I love the “We just want to be left alone.” If you march around in uniform with a flag, you’re not looking to be left alone. What a Confederate-style argument.

    • Kevin Levin Dec 21, 2013 @ 11:16

      Right. We just want to be left alone, but look at the camera we’ve got handy for just this occasion. Like I said, I don’t know how the security folks manage to hold it together.

  • Andy Hall Dec 21, 2013 @ 11:04

    More vague references to “going to court” over the chapel at the VMFA? It’s always about what they’re gonna do in court, isn’t it? As an old friend of mine used to say when in polite company, “it’s time to flush or get off.”

    On the other hand, the cinematography here has improved substantially from his previous efforts, so that’s to the good.

  • Al Mackey Dec 21, 2013 @ 10:11

    He’s trying to get arrested again.

    • Andy Hall Dec 21, 2013 @ 11:45

      Yes. I suspect he’s trolling for another incident to claim abuse/oppression/brutality by the police, to bolster his oft-threatened-but-never-yet-filed lawsuit against the VMFA and the City of Richmond.

      I expect he’s been told that he has no case whatsoever based on the incident in January. It’s telling that for all the shrieking at the time about him and his kid being “assaulted” by the police, the two most prominent Flaggers with a professional background in law enforcement and/or security, Dave Tatum and John Henry Taylor, never (AFAIK) endorsed or repeated that claim. You know the saying, “once you lose Tatum, you’ve lost the war.” Or something like that.

      So yeah, I think he’s looking to get arrested. His supporters donated thousands of dollars to fund his defense and a vindication of the Flaggers’ protest. He short-circuited that by cutting a deal that worked out great for him personally, but did nothing whatever for the Flaggers’ larger cause. I suspect there are more than a few folks out there wondering exactly what good their contributions did for anyone or anything besides Tripp Lewis.

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