Local Group Threatens Lawsuit To Return Confederate Flag

Heritage or hate? That's the controversy that continues to swirl around the confederate flag.

And now one Georgia organization is threatening to sue. They want the Ringgold City Council to hang the confederate flag at the historic Ringgold Depot by the middle of next week.

Back in 2005 the Ringgold City Council decided to remove the confederate flag from the Depot - now that's where many soldiers departed from to heard to the civil war. But three years after the council removed the flag, the Sons of Confederate Veterans say return the flag or else.

"It's a symbol of my ancestors who did fight for their independence," David Espy says.

And it's a symbol David Espy wants flying from at least one of the poles in front of the Ringgold Depot.

"It's the soldier's flag therefore it represents the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of men that boarded trains right here," Espy says.

And that's why Espy and the Sons of Confederate Veterans are threatening legal action if the Ringgold City Council does not replace the flag by the middle of next week.

"It doesn't hurt my feelings that it's not out there," Darrell Owens says.

Some citizens like Darrell Owens say the flag represents controversy and potential hate.

"If they removed it because somebody had a problem with it then I don't have a problem with it being gone," Owens says.

Others like Demetria Louis disagree.

"It's a small town, a lot of people don't feel like it's a big issue, but to some of us it is, it's who we are and were we came from," Louis says.

"I'm for the confederate flag, as well as any of the other wars that we've had," Ringgold Mayor Joe Barger says.

And that's why Barger plans to vote for the flag to return to the Civil War Memorial.

It's a memorial that already has soldiers names engraved in bricks in front of the Depot, and Espy believes the confederate flag will make it complete.

"Well I don't know that I'd lay my life down for it but i'll do all I can for it," Espy says.

We spoke with several city council members and they told us they couldn't comment on the flag.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans say they will file a lawsuit if they flag isn't replaced by next Wednesday or Thursday.