Selwyn Jones, George Floydâs uncle, is calling out the Gettysburg Police Department in South Dakota for its logo which contains an emblem of the Confederate flag.
During an interview with Minneapolisâ Star Tribune, Jones expressed concern about the logo insisting it has âgot to go.â
The logo features the American and Confederate flags positioned behind a cannon.Â
Jones, who is the brother of George Floydâs mother and a three-year resident of Gettysburg, detailed his recent phone conversation with the townâs mayor Bill Wuttke and insisted the city should consider changing its police department logo.Â
âBill, we really have the Confederate flag on our police uniforms?â Jones said to the publication about his call with the mayor. âMan, thatâs got to go.â
Wuttke reportedly told Jones, âWeâll see about it.â
However, Jones expressed apprehension about Wuttkeâs claims saying, âThatâs what a white guy in control and power says. âWeâll see about it.â ⌠Whatever.â
The mayor told the publication that he does not support changing the logo as he argued that the majority of residents in Gettysburg do not believe the logo is racist.
âWeâre not wanting the liberals and the press telling us we have to change it. People here do not feel itâs racism,â he said.
âItâs so ridiculous; 99 percent of the people donât have any idea . Itâs just something thatâs there. Iâve had more local people in favor of it than against it,â Wuttke added.
The Gettysburg City Council also held a stance similar to Wuttke as they defended the logo as a representation of âheritage.â However, there is now a petition calling for the removal of the Confederate symbol for the logo.
Noting historical facts about the Civil War as it relates to South Dakota, the petition argues that the Confederacy was âa blatantly racist organizationâ and ânot a fundamental part of our stateâs history.â
âSouth Dakota did not exist until 24 years AFTER the Civil War. The confederacy was a blatantly racist organization that is not a fundamental part of our stateâs history,â the petition reads. âThis heritage is not ours, it has no place here.â
The petition now has more than 4,000 signatures. Despite Wuttkeâs position on the logo, Jones is confident it will soon be a thing of the past.
âI know my neighbors will listen in order to understand the history of hurt that African-Americans and other people of color have experienced,â Jones wrote, per the Star Tribune. âI am also sure that the flag issue in Gettysburg will be resolved because the killing of my nephew George Floyd is offensive to all lovers of freedom.â
Jonesâ remarks about the Confederate-inspired police department logo came as he also expressed concern about the handling of his nephewâs case.Â
While speaking with reporters outside of the Hennepin County Courthouse, he stressed his concern that the judicial system is flawed.
