LETTER: Stunned to see photo including Confederate flag

It was a horrible tragedy that Zachary Rhoads and others were killed in an automobile accident. It is absolutely appropriate and a tribute to him that his friends planned and carried out a memorial parade for him. However, there are two big reasons I am stunned by the photo on the front page of the Daily Inter Lake of Nov. 17. First, that a Confederate flag was carried and second, that the Inter Lake reporter made no mention of the fact that the students chose to “honor” Mr. Rhoads by parading with a Confederate flag and the article did not include any explanation offered by the students about why they chose to do this.

Our local affiliate of Montana Public Radio did cover this aspect of the parade, and why it was so disturbing to many of the people who saw the memorial parade. The fact that the participants were students implies that either they have no concept of the racist and oppressive meaning of that flag or they do know and chose to make that statement as a tribute to their friend. Both explanations are a tragic commentary on some prevailing attitudes in our community.

To memorialize someone by spreading hate compounds the tragedy of this death. Symbols have meanings, and the meaning of the Confederate flag is clearly known, just as is the symbol of the Nazi swastika. I am a firm believer in our right of free speech — and I also believe people should be held accountable for their speech and actions. I only hope the majority of our Flathead Valley population will take a stand against racism, anti-Semitism, and the preaching of hatred of any kind against our neighbors.

Perhaps the fact that these were students presents a teaching moment. Being “country kids” as they call themselves in the Montana Public Radio story is no excuse for spreading a message of hate. —Sandy Perry, Kalispell