Viral Confederate Flag Video Catches Deputies' Attention

Check out the video at the bottom of this post.

A video of a man allegedly stealing a Confederate flag from outside a home has captured the attention of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

It seems the theft in question wasn’t so alleged, according to sheriff’s office spokesman Dave Bristow.

“Over the past several days, a video of someone stealing a Confederate flag has circulated on social and mainstream media,” Bristow wrote in an email to media. “Yesterday, a Manatee County resident made a report with the sheriff’s office that his flag was taken over the weekend.”

The house in the now-viral video happens to belong to the resident who reported his flag stolen, Bristow added.

The video was posted publically on Facebook by Jamari Williams. His page lists him as the CEO of “Blowin’ Bandz Entertainment,” which is a Sarasota-based rap group.

So far, the video has been viewed nearly 5 million times and includes the hashtag #NOFLAGGINCHALLENGE.

See Also:

• Confederate Flag Flies Once More Over Marion County
• Leaving the Confederacy Behind: Is It Time?
• Look Who Will Pay Legal Fees for ‘Hero” Who Removed Confederate Flag
• Confederate Flags to Fly at Daytona

A backlash against the Confederate flag has been whipping up across the country following a racially charged massacre in Charleston, S.C. The June 17 shooting left nine churchgoers dead and has prompted government bodies across the country to call for the removal of Confederate flags in public places. South Carolina, in fact, has stopped flying its Confederate flags outside government buildings. The accused shooter in the Charleston case, Dylann Roof, 21, was associated with the flag courtesy of an online posting in which photos of the man posing with a Confederate flag were found.

In Florida, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor is calling for the removal of a statute of a Confederate general’s statute from the U.S. Capitol. She’s say the image isn’t representative of the Sunshine State. The backlash has even reached the entertainment industry with TV Land pulling reruns of the once popular television show “Dukes of Hazzard.”

While some are demanding the flag’s removal, Marion County Commissioners voted to keep their flag flying.

Anyone with information about the identity of the man in the video is asked to call the Manatee sheriff’s office at 941-747-3011 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-634-TIPS.

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