“I Feel Like I am Living in the 50s”

It’s a script embedded in American history. If you want to send an African-American family the message that they are not welcome in your community, there is no more potent of a symbol than the Confederate battle flag. Its message is unmistakable even without the additional forms of intimidation employed by Shaun Porter against this family.

Porter’s behavior is disgusting and his choice of flag connects him with the worst racial elements that this country has to offer. I hope this is resolved soon.

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16 comments… add one
  • Annette Jackson Dec 20, 2015 @ 12:34

    A real s**t kicker…Now we are going through nonsense here in Virginia over a calligraphy lesson as part of a unit on religions of the world. Even have our version of Kim Davis with pitchfork in hand leading the charge to “preserve” Christian fundamentalism.

  • Andy Hall Dec 19, 2015 @ 7:03

    Remarkably, there are fools who defend Porter:
    _____

    I have walked a mile in Mr. Porter’s shoes. Heck, I flew the Georgia State Flag on my own property and the HOA asked me to take my flag down. I told them to take it up with the governor. Trust me. People who stereotype start on the street in your front yard, but like the Hatfield–McCoy feud, the feud eventually moves onto your property. Mr. Porter can write his County politicians and go to court. Nine times out of 10, the county will side with the Dante’s who instigate the feud into what it has become today.

    Will be interesting if Mr. Porter is protected under the law. I had to move to another county. …and the treatment got worst. I learned the best resolution is to be yourself and ignore people who are intolerant of your beliefs. Pray for neighbors who understand what it means to honor your Confederate ancestors–I pray daily. All in all, my flag never came down.

    _____

    So apparently Porter’s not the unhinged, bigoted, and possibly violent jackass he appears to be; he’s just honoring his Confederate ancestors, and it’s the neighbors who are being “intolerant.” You really have to wonder sometimes if you’re reading Confederate heritage social media, or The Onion.

  • Bryan Cheeseboro Dec 16, 2015 @ 1:57

    I live in Maryland and this story was featured on our local news. Mr. Porter seems to be an army of one person objecting to a Black family living next door to him. Perhaps years ago, he might have had the whole neighborhood on his side and would have been successful- i.e., getting the Black people to move out- in his harassment.

    And such was this case: in 1972-73, in my wife’s hometown of Zanesville, Ohio, she and her family moved into the house that her parents still live in to this day. The house was empty when they moved in because the Black family who lived their prior to them had a cross burned on the front lawn. My wife, who was about five years old at the time, said the neighbors had told her family what happened and that you could still see the damage to the lawn when they moved in. There is a flower bed on the lawn now.

    • Kevin Levin Dec 16, 2015 @ 2:49

      I hope his neighbors and community are offering support during this difficult time. It would have been encouraging to see a neighbor interviewed in this clip, but I can certainly understand the decision not to given Porter’s disturbing behavior.

      • Bryan Cheeseboro Dec 16, 2015 @ 6:46

        I think this must be the first time I’ve seen a story on the local news and then seen it featured here on CWM.

        It’s also sad to hear this man say “I feel like I’m living in the ’50s” because I think that’s how this crazy guy wanted him to feel. But the one part that still puzzles me is if Porter is only renting the property, why is the homeowner letting him get away with all of this stupid nonsense?

  • H. S. Anderson Dec 15, 2015 @ 11:59

    “If you want to send an African-American family the message that they are not welcome in your community, there is no more potent of a symbol than the Confederate battle flag.”

    I disagree… a burning cross on the lawn would surely be a lot more potent.

    The man in the article is the opposite of most flag supporters that I know, who tend to go out of their way to avoid offense or the slightest appearance of racism, because they don’t want to give ammunition to opponents of displaying the Confederate flag. The man in the article clearly doesn’t care. And he’s defacing his own vehicle, which seems like very odd behavior to me. I’d question his mental health first and foremost.

    • Kevin Levin Dec 15, 2015 @ 16:31

      I don’t know how much worse it gets by burning a cross on the front lawn.

      And he’s defacing his own vehicle, which seems like very odd behavior to me. I’d question his mental health first and foremost.

      Perhaps, but he certainly knew exactly which flag to display to send his message. That’s no accident.

  • mkstichauf Dec 15, 2015 @ 8:37

    What he has taught his son is CHILD ABUSE!!

  • Sandi Saunders Dec 15, 2015 @ 4:55

    This kind of thing is sadly not as unusual as it should be, we had a similar case in Franklin County Va recently and the harasser got 6 months in jail.
    http://www.roanoke.com/news/crime/franklin_county/rocky-mount-man-guilty-of-hanging-a-noose-is-jailed/article_0389b2b6-291c-50d3-8b5a-3b2db67e786d.html

    And then there is this guy in NC:
    http://www.wral.com/confederate-flag-debate-a-way-of-life-in-rocky-mount-neighborhood/14736521/

    • Marian Latimer Dec 18, 2015 @ 22:21

      Boy, am I ever so proud to be living in NC. As for Mr. Porter, I’m betting he’s on the HOA board.

  • Rob Baker Dec 15, 2015 @ 4:26

    Wow. I would say that Sean (Shawn) Porter is off his medication, but that would be an insult to the mentally insane.

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