LOCAL RESIDENTS DEMAND REMOVAL OF SWASTIKA FROM TOWN HALL

Bremen, NC – New residents to Bremen, NC, were surprised to see the town hall flying, alongside the Confederate battle flag, a World War II-era German flag. Letitia Foster and her mother, Sandra Foster, recently moved to Bremen, NC from Fredrick, MD where the elder had been employed as a pharmacist.

“Mom got transferred,” said Letitia, “and when we heard it was down south, we knew it would be different. But this is pretty extreme.”

A local representative who would not give his name, commented, “The residents of Bremen understand that some people see the swastika as an image of hate and fascism. What they don't understand is that, to us, it's a symbol of heritage. The people of Bremen have close ties to the Fatherland.”

The city's German connection dates back to the founders having come from Germany in 1920. A small group of herbalists and craftsmen settled in the area on a land grant to encourage immigration after clearing a small group of African American sharecroppers off of the land. The town participated heavily in the experiments conducted by the Eugenics Board of North Carolina in the 1930s to the 1970s.

Residents of Bremen, NC lobbied the US government to enter World War II on the German side, but became a town of mostly conscientious objectors in 1941.

“Our relatives just wanted a better world for everyone,” says the representative, “All anyone seems to remember about the Nazis is all the killing that they did, but no one seems to remember their interest in inexpensive healthcare or good school systems.”

Now, many of the newer residents to the city are transplants and feel that the town hall's flying of the flag is offensive.

“My great-uncle died fighting the Germans,” says resident Luis Corredo, “That flag might have been the last thing that he saw.”

With a more heterogeneous population in the town, the local leadership is struggling to explain itself to newcomers. Even mayor Susan Strasser weighed in on the subject:
“What people don't seem to understand is that this isn't hate. It has nothing to do with hate. It's all about heritage.”