Dressed in climbing gear and a helmet, Brittany “Bree” Newsome shimmied up a 30-foot flagpole on the grounds of the South Carolina state Capitol early Saturday and removed the Confederate battle flag that has reignited national debate over the emblem’s place in modern America.
Newsome removed the banner hours before a pro-flag rally was scheduled to take place at the monument in Columbia. By the time the flag was raised again, the moment had made its mark in the ongoing debate over the Confederate banner on the State House grounds — and its value in American society 150 years after the end of the Civil War.
Newsome was arrested after she returned to ground with flag in hand. Video shows fellow activist James Tyson waiting at the flagpole’s base inside the wrought-iron fence to help her out of her climbing gear. She posted bond and was released from jail Saturday afternoon, spokesman Mervyn Marcano said. Calls to her attorney have not been returned.
