JUNEAU -- The Mississippi flag has been removed from a display of state flags lining one of downtown Juneau's main streets. It will be replaced with the Mississippi Magnolia flag, which was briefly the state's official flag.
The Juneau Empire reports that Marc Wheeler was given permission to remove the flag, which he considers a symbol of racism and hate because of its Confederate symbols.
Wheeler sent a letter signed by nearly 200 Juneau residents to the nonprofit Friends of the Flags, which maintains the display. He said he was surprised by the quick response.
The flag's removal adds Juneau to a growing list of cities that have decided not to fly the flag in the wake of the Charleston, South Carolina, church shooting that killed nine people.