Eatery owner fights Confederate flag with zoning complaint

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A restaurateur has filed a zoning complaint over a Confederate flag flying near his South Carolina eatery, amid an ongoing feud with the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

An attorney for Edisto River Creamery & Kitchen owner Tommy Daras sent a letter May 24 to the city of Orangeburg arguing the flag is on land that doesn’t meet business zoning requirements. Some members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans threatened to have Daras arrested for trespassing when he sought to remove the flag last November.

The group says it was deeded 130 square feet (12 square meters) by the ex-property owner, a barbecue operator known for distributing white supremacist literature.

The Sons’ Leland Summers declined an interview, but said the group would answer the complaint.