U.S. Capitol takes down U.S. flags because of the controversial Mississippi state flag

Hattiesburg, Miss. - The Mississippi state flag has been a controversial topic for years, leaving a lot of people with split opinions.

The United States Capitol announced Friday that it will never hang any U.S. state flag ever again, in effort to not support a state flag that has a confederate emblem on it.

USM professor, Rebecca Tuuri said, "I think the U.S. Capitol is reflecting the will of the American public at large. Not necessarily the popular opinion of Mississippi. The Confederate battle flag is an offensive flag for enough people in the country that it should be taken down."

But one Mississippi native has a different opinion.

USM student, Shane Tolbert said, "I think they should leave the flag up honestly. I think it's something just like here on campus. They should leave the flag on campus. I don't think it's offending anyone. I think if the flag needs to be changed, it should take the proper process."

But some people really don't know the state flag's history. The flag was created nearly 30 years after the Civil War ended and in a time period when the South was at the height of physical violence against African-Americans and when strong segregation emerged.

Tuuri said "I think it's very important for people to remember that everyone has a different history affiliated with the flag. But for some folks in Mississippi, it's such a deeply offensive flag. But I think that if we're really going to come together as a state, we must respect that horrific past that they still have to deal with by looking at that sign and symbol."