Trey Allen chuckled when briefed on the waves of controversy surrounding Camping World’s scofflaw American flag in Statesville, N.C.
This story by Megan Suggs originally appeared in the Statesville Record & Landmark.
Allen, assistant professor of public law and government at the UNC School of Government, said he doesn’t envy city council members who are stuck in the middle of the tussle with Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis over Statesville’s rules on flag size.
“It’s fairly common for people to refuse to follow ordinances,” Allen said.
In this case, the person is Lemonis, whose 1.3 million Twitter followers give him a powerful platform from which to attack Statesville.
“Flag isn’t coming down,” Lemonis tweeted Oct. 1 after Statesville City Council voted 5-3 against a proposal to increase the allowable flag size to 40-by-80 feet, which would bring Camping World’s banner into compliance.
If Lemonis sticks by his promise, Allen said, the city could cite Camping World for a misdemeanor, issue fines or get a court order forcing removal the flag.
