GREENFIELD — The town’s Human Rights Commission plans to revisit last fall’s Confederate flag controversy at an upcoming meeting after concerns were resurrected by members of the public at a recent forum.
Chairman Lewis Metaxas said the commission has created four working groups to address issues of diversity and racism that will meet next month to discuss a variety of issues — some of which pertain to the flag and its history. However, he said he feels it’s necessary to devote a full meeting to revisiting the controversy, which arose last November when a Confederate flag was spotted inside the garage of off-duty Greenfield police Detective Sgt. Daniel McCarthy.
During a recent commission meeting, Turners Falls resident Rodney Madison said he fears that as time passes, the issue will fade from people’s minds. He also asked McCarthy, who is the police department’s liaison to the commission and was present during the meeting, whether he denounces the flag that was hung in his garage and understands that it’s a harmful, racist symbol to many people.
“I thought you would welcome the opportunity to say that you don’t promote racist symbols and that you may not have known what it represented and now you do, and you denounce the flag,” Madison said.
McCarthy responded by saying he already made his comments at a previous commission hearing dedicated to the controversy, later adding, “There are images out there that are harmful to people, yes, 100 percent.”
Metaxas said the commission’s working groups will begin looking into various issues, including the flag, during its July meeting and will also work on planning a diversity day celebration.
However, he said the commission’s August meeting will likely be dedicated to revisiting the controversy.
“I think it’s worthy of discussion and I think there are issues that people want to revisit and review,” he said.