ELK GROVE —
One week after employees at Wild Bill’s Old West Trading Company made a group decision to raise a confederate flag, a group swarmed the Elk Grove gun shop to protest the display.
Black Lives Matter protested in an attempt to express that they are offended by the flag.
Tanya Faison with Incite Insight said she feels threatened by the flag, “We have to stand up to it we don’t want our neighbors to feel like they can’t go anywhere they want.”
While the group spent hours chanting and spreading their messages they were met with counter protesters who are also customers of the gun shop.
“This store should be allowed to display the flag because it’s their first amendment right to do so,” said counter protester Mike Wood.
Assistant Manager Jacob Shockley said the flag was brought inside and was replaced with an American flag in honor of Independence Day. He said while he’s not sure if they’ll take it back outside he does not want to back down, “We’re not going to cave in like everybody else has been doing.”
Employees at Wild Bill’s called the Elk Grove Police Department twice. Officers told protestors they could be there, but could not be block entry ways to the parking lot and store.
The protesters cleared out after a couple of hours and said they are hoping the flag will come down for good.
