ATLANTA _ After 67 consecutive years, the future of Alpharetta's Old Soldiers Day Parade is unknown.
The Alpharetta City Council unanimously voted this week to stop using taxpayer dollars to put on the parade _ founded to honor Civil War veterans _ because of a lawsuit and the controversy surrounding the Confederate battle flag's presence on the sidelines of the city-sponsored event.
American Legion Post 201, which has co-sponsored the event for decades, said it will have to decide its role in the parade without the city. For now, it isn't clear who would pay to put on the parade.
"This is a damn shame," Mayor Jim Gilvin said at the meeting. "And unfortunately we've come to the point where as a government entity we can no longer ensure that events sponsored by us remain something that are supported by our neighbors and bring us together as a community, and so it's just time for us to get out of this parade business."
This all happened after the Roswell Mills Camp 1547 Sons of Confederate Veterans were given the option to appear in the Aug. 3 parade if they didn't fly the Confederate flag, but the group refused, saying no one would recognize them without it.
Members of the group sued at the last minute because they said not allowing them to fly the flag was a violation of their First Amendment rights. They tried to get a federal judge to rule in their favor, but U.S. District Judge William M. Ray II sided with the city.
Even still, people flew the battle flag on the sidewalks alongside the parade this year, said city spokesman James Drinkard.
No one from the Sons group was immediately available for comment after Monday night's vote.
"We are obviously disappointed in last night's vote to end a nearly 70-year partnership to honor America's veterans and active duty military," said Pete Esker, commander of Post 201.
Confederate symbols have been hotly contested in Georgia and across the country. Some view it as a hateful reminder of the country's past and others view it as a symbol of their heritage.
