Patriotic Business Owner Doubles Down, Would Rather Go to Jail Than Remove Massive American Flag
Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis said his colors will not run, even if it means jail time.
Although Lemonis is facing a $50-per-day fine unless he downsizes the flag at his Gander RV location in Statesville, North Carolina, he has no plans to comply.
The problem developed when Leonis’s over-sized patriotism collided with local codes. His Gander RV store in Statesville flies a 40-by-80-foot flag, which as reported by WCNC violates the local ordinance requiring flags in a highway zone be no bigger than 25-by-40 feet.
Statesville told Lemonis to comply or else, and he has chosen to ignore the fine levied against him.
On Monday during an interview with Martha MacCallum on the Fox News show “The Story,” he said he will proudly continue to violate a rule he believes is wrong.
“When veterans show up at the stores for the flag raisings, and when they come on Saturdays and do their veteran rides, and they weep at the bottom of the flagpole, that’s the conviction that I need to say it’s just not going to come down. I would rather go to jail,” he said, according to Fox News.
MacCallum asked about paying the ultimate price for patriotic disobedience — jail.
“The city of Statesville filed a lawsuit about two months ago,” he said. “If I don’t take it down I will be in violation of the court order. Ultimately, their reaction is from the city that I will go to jail.”
There’s a chance it might not get that far.
Mayor Costi Kutteh said the issue could be resolved when the city council next meets on July 15, the Associated Press reported.
“Some terrible things have been said about our wonderful town, and it hasn’t come from our citizens,” Kutteh said. “But people from all over the country have jumped on this issue and called us names I can’t repeat.”
Marcus Lemonis wants to fly a flag larger than the city allows….it looks to me as though it’s not interfering with anyone. I say let it fly ?????? https://t.co/zSUaum42zQ
— Richard Pike (@RichardPike20) July 1, 2019
I stand behind Marcus Lemonis. We have a camping world ( Gander) in Greenbay and the flag is beautiful. If you don’t like the flag move to a city without Camping world
— William Bub (@william_bub) July 3, 2019
Lemonis said the issue runs deeper than what he has termed “a bunch of bureaucrats in a small town in North Carolina who decided that the size they deem appropriate is going to be in the ordinance.”
He noted that he operates 180 stores that fly Old Glory and most flags are the size of the one causing angst in North Carolina.
“The ordinance doesn’t matter to me,” he said.”If you look at the North Carolina statute, it says as long as it’s not impairing someone’s health and well-being it’s not a big deal.”
“They made the claim it could cause an accident on the freeway because it was too distracting — it was too beautiful,” he said.
On that point, the man who emigrated to the U.S. from Lebanon and is famous for his CNBC show “The Profit” somewhat agrees, explaining his affection for America’s symbol.
Lemonis said that as a child, he grew up with mammoth flags at the family’s south Florida car dealership.
“The flag was a very big symbol,” he said.
And now, “if there is a way to put up a bigger pole, a bigger flag, we will do it,” Lemonis said.
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