The reaction in Charleston, S.C. after a mass shooting that left nine people dead last week has created "a model" for other communities to follow in terms of its citizens joining together, one expert tells Newsmax.
Col. Derek Harvey, head of the Global Initiative on Civil Society and Conflict, tells host J.D. Hayworth on
Newsmax TV's "Newsmax Prime" he thinks other cities can learn a lot from Charleston.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said Monday a Confederate flag flying outside the statehouse should be removed.
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The alleged shooter in the case, an apparent white supremacist,
has been seen in photos holding a confederate flag and weapons. All of the victims were black.
"It's a model. It's something that we need to be thinking seriously about," Harvey says.
"Particularly, when you look at Ferguson and Baltimore and other reactions that have taken place that have just led to senseless destruction. The community in South Carolina has taken a more mature process and approach that is reaching beyond their normal groups and individual identities and trying to reach across and find a common pathway. They know their differences, but they're looking for common bonds and I think the leadership in South Carolina has really stood out to me, which is very different from what I saw in Missouri and in Baltimore."
Others, including South Carolina state Rep. Norman "Doug" Brannon, a Republican, and GOP candidate for president Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina senator,
have called for the Confederate flag's removal as well.
Harvey notes the issue with the Confederate flag "became politicized. It was a natural evolution given the times we live in today and how quickly an issue will accelerate through social media and regular media."
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