Mayor Calls for End to Confederate Flag License Plate in Maryland

A move by government officials in several states to remove the Confederate flag from state license plates was echoed Tuesday by Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who called for Maryland officials to stop issuing specialty plates with the symbol.

“The Confederate is flag divisive and offensive, and should not be allowed as a symbol on Maryland license plates,” Mayor Rawlings-Blake said on Twitter.

The flag has been controversial for decades as a symbol adopted by white supremacists.

It has come under increasing scrutiny in the last week after Dylann Roof killed nine African-American churchgoers during a bible study in a historic Charleston, S.C. church. Images widely distributed of Roof show him holding a Confederate flag, and he has reportedly told authorities he was attempting to start a race war.

Similarly, Confederate-themed monuments are being questioned in the region, with Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz seeking to rename Robert E. Lee Park, which honors the Confederate general.

Kamenetz told The Baltimore Sun that county officials have for months discussed a new name for the park that reflects the area’s diverse population.

“We believe Lake Roland Park is more reflective of this open-space treasure, and we are confident that the city will approve our request,” Kamenetz said.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that Texas can refuse a license plate request from the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The court ruled in a 5-4 decision that the specialty license plate constitutes government speech, and Texas is entitled to reject a plate with the Confederate battle flag on it.

Neighboring Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said Tuesday he plans to replace a specialty license plate for members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans because the current plate prominently features the Confederate battle flag.

On Monday, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and other prominent Palmetto State officials announced they would begin the process of removing a Confederate flag that currently flies in a high-profile spot in front of the statehouse.

»Sample of Maryland’s Sons of Confederate Veterans license tag, from state MVA website