News : Mail box vandalism tied to Confederate flag controversy

By Vinton Today · September 27, 2015, 2:34 pm

The Benton County Sheriff's Office has received several reports of mailbox vandalism today. Although the authorities have not identified a suspect, one witness has.

"We had high school boys come by in a truck draped in confederate flags screaming 'N****r" phrases at our house and then taking a bat to our mailbox before speeding away," said David Cornell, the father of several African American children.

"It's pretty disappointing for our community," said Cornell, the VSHS varsity girls soccer coach. "I just thought everyone should know and I thought I would pass that word along to anyone who thought the flag issue was not about hate."

Several mailboxes along the "High Road" and gravel roads northeast of Vinton were vandalized over the weekend.

Other Vinton residents reported seeing and hearing high school students shouting "White power" as they drove past her house with Confederate flags on their vehicles.

In a press release issued Monday morning, Benton County Sheriff Randy Forsyth said that 48 mailboxes were damaged and that "at least 5 male juveniles from this area may be responsible for the damage."

Referrals are pending and authorities will be meeting with U.S. Postal authorities later today, Forsyth said.

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ZF September 27, 2015, 3:09 pm Come to my house saying that n see what happens

JS September 27, 2015, 3:13 pm This article really makes me sad. I would like to blame the high school kids 100% but I can\'t. This is how kids are being raised now a days. Where are their parents? When do they plan to step in and tell their kids to stop causing problems? I\'m all for freedom of speech but there is a time and place for it. I get told I\'m to strict of a parent because I want to know who my kids are with, where they are, and what they plan to do. As parents we need to hold our kids accountable or they are going to grow up and never take responsibility for the things they have done wrong.
I am truly sorry for the families going through this right now. Please know that not everyone is like that. Sadly, it only takes a few people to give a town a bad name.

sw September 27, 2015, 3:16 pm The flag isn\'t about hate..those stupid kids were about hate.

AU September 27, 2015, 3:42 pm This makes me so irritated as a supporter of the 1st amendment and the right to fly flags that our fallen soldiers (from both sides, in all eras) died under. The flag is not meant to take on violent, racial connotations but these idiots just forced away any support they may have had. I don\'t know if they realize this at their age but the world is in a fragile state and proving the point of radicals who have their own negatives to lend to a greater divisive problem only makes it tougher to open channels of tolerance.

DB September 27, 2015, 4:45 pm Those same boys drove by my house and they were just driving a few of my neighbors were outside and gave encouragement to the boy\'s. The young man that kcrg interviewed is doing it for the right reason so to that young man fly both of your flags proudly

DH September 27, 2015, 5:01 pm I fully supported the kids for taking the initiative to take a stand for history.
I am ashamed of them for the fact they had to let us down and prove how stupid they could be after gaining adult support.
Hopefully you will be men enough to take responsibility for your lack of respect and maturity on what was a worthy cause.

DA September 27, 2015, 5:55 pm I am curious if these \"boys\" have been identified. They must have been identified if is is a pure fact that they are \"high school boys\"

DV September 27, 2015, 6:02 pm I hope these young people know that they have potentially crossed the line between First amendment rights and hate speech/hate crimes. Hate crimes are taken very seriously.

jG September 27, 2015, 6:55 pm Confederate flag is a gang signal for white thugs....

JRG September 27, 2015, 7:23 pm I wanted to extend my sympathies to the black family whose mailbox was vandalized by bigots brandishing the Confederate Flag. Most of us who support the Confederate Flag are not like that and would in fact welcome blacks to our cause. We see the Confederate Flag as a symbol of southern culture and pride, and those vandals who have been harassing you need to be punished for both harassment of your family and desecrating our Noble Cause.

JH September 27, 2015, 7:23 pm It is very sad that instead of worrying about what happened over the weekend, there are so many people who are worried about the flag and their misguided defense of it.
Defend it all you want, it\'s a symbol of hate and now -- whether it\'s the kids who started it or not -- it has spilled over into a hate crime and vandalism. This is a sad time for community; we have descended into very sad place and we all need to take a good look at ourselves.

TF September 27, 2015, 7:32 pm Come on, people involved, why don\'t you tell us what you\'re thinking? Actions without words is what little boys do. Please act like men, and tell us your message. A bunch of us are baffled, and would like to know.

JM September 27, 2015, 7:50 pm So I guess it is quite clear now. Anyone who is willing to fly the confederate flag after this news story is showing support to racism and violence. You can\'t claim ignorance or that the confederate flag doesn\'t represent hate after the events of this weekend. This is no longer a freedom of speech issue! Fly the flag and support hate and racism or take it down and support freedom and peace. It\'s your choice!

BA September 27, 2015, 7:55 pm Enough is enough of this. I have lived in Vinton till 2002 . I still call it my hometown. Why can\'t this stop and move on we never did this when I was in school. Someone is going to get hurt in the long run. I say enough of the flag protest time to learn and act like adults.

HC September 27, 2015, 8:41 pm I\'m surprised more people haven\'t mentioned what might be the real reason behind this whole case. High school students that want to push the buttons of administrators and know how to do it. Working with students, most of them could tell you exactly how to get the Principal upset. If it hadn\'t been the flag, it would have been something else.

JS September 27, 2015, 10:10 pm I support the Right of those kids to fly that flag. Flying a flag is speech, and those kids have the Right to Freedom of Speech. This I know all too well, as I served in our nations military, and took an oath to \"Support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies\". Yep, I put my very life on the line to preserve those kids, and all of us, will continue to enjoy the Rights we all enjoy.
I, too, have that same Right.
Those ignorant (stupid) little racist thugs weren\'t raised right. Their parents did a poor job, and now those racist thugs are trolling around Vinton spreading their special brand of hate and oppression. I hope their parents are hanging their heads low in shame. I\'m sure their Kleagels are proud, and will have some lovely stories to tell at their next Klan meeting.

dh September 27, 2015, 10:50 pm I dont see nothing wroug with the it stands for all black or white or what ever you are Fly The Flag.

JM September 28, 2015, 1:14 am The Klu Klux Klan flies this flag. Do we really need to argue this point? People who like this flag need to find another way to express their pride other than in a place that once supported slavery and treason. Finally, the losers in any war are never allowed to fly their flag once they have lost. The Confederacy lost. This seems fairly simple.

ik September 28, 2015, 9:09 am I have no issues with black people an most people in this town don\'t have problems with black people. But this is a redneck town. We\'re all country for the most part. Especially us in the younger community. I see this flag for my Texas life, that\'s where I am from an most of us country folks see it as a country flag but vandalism is wrong. I fly my flag an my husband has it tattood I love it an always will but it\'s not a race thing for me

IK September 28, 2015, 9:51 am I would also like to add that the KKK also flies the American flag, feel free to google it. An as far as the kkk, such a hushed group, nobody hears of it anymore really. Also sorry this happened to this family and I feel good job for flying the flag bad job for vandalism. It was uncalled for. If you\'re trying to stand your ground awesome but you\'re giving the flag the WRONG image by that action. If you\'re racists you have that right I suppose but you don\'t have the right to disrupt others lives by you being ignorantly selfish and rude.

JA September 28, 2015, 2:22 pm I don\'t know the young people or their parents. I don\'t know it they were the same group or groups, but what I do know is that tampering with a mailbox is a federal offense. If you were involved, you could be in very serious trouble. Stop and think before you play \"STUPID\" the next time and find a better outreach for your tempers!

BR September 28, 2015, 4:23 pm I was about as wild as anyone I knew/know growing up and I never ever beat any ones mail box with a ball bat or yelled racial slurs at anyone. I don\'t have a problem with anyone flying the confederate flag or displaying it, but I do have a BIG problem with people that act like bullies and doing these kinds of things is bullying.

MS September 28, 2015, 10:30 pm Forsyth said his office, contrary to some reports on social media, did not find any connection between the mailbox vandalism and students who were displaying the Confederate flag on Vinton-Shellsburg High School property last week. - According to KCRG\'s website - perhaps an adjustment to the headline is in order to show Forsyth\'s COMPLETE statements - and an accurate depiction of what the law enforcement officials are saying??

DS September 29, 2015, 1:50 pm I hope for all of your sake that when/if this all comes to light that these ALLOGATIONS are right. Otherwise a bunch of you are going to have a large serving of crow to eat. Your names are on here, everyone knows who you are. If the mailboxes were about race, why smash 50 other mailboxes? Were all of the people with vandalized mailboxes considered by the offender to have some connection to black poeple? I highly doubt it. It doesn\'t add up. I know, maybe we should all wait for the facts and not rush to judgment.

JS September 29, 2015, 4:42 pm Mr. Stieferman
I couldn\'t agree more with your statement. This is the typical media hype of today. Hurry up and be the first one to get things out there before knowing anything but a bunch of hear say.

RG September 29, 2015, 11:09 pm Let\'s not get off the subject that the people involved are committing crimes of vandalism, obstructing mail delivery, and hate crimes against others. I hope whoever is involved is caught and charged fully to the extent of the law!!!