Kootenai Democrats denounce racism after flag switch

The Kootenai County Democratic Central Committee has issued a statement condemning racism and racist activity after homeowners reported their signs displaying their political leanings were stolen and replaced with Confederate flags.

“Whereas the Kootenai County Democrats recognize that our community has seen increased numbers of incidents with racist overtones,” a resolution passed Monday by the KCDCC reads, “whereas trespassers recently planted the Confederate Flag and literature in several yards in Coeur d’Alene without the homeowners’ knowledge or consent…Now therefore be it resolved that the Kootenai County Democratic Central Committee hereby condemns all expressions and displays of racism in our community, condemns the defacing, destruction and/or theft of private property, and condemns any form of public intimidation, including voter intimidation at the polls or elsewhere.”

The resolution was approved Monday night, less than a week after a handful of residents in the Garden District reported their signs showing support for former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris in the upcoming Nov. 3 election were replaced overnight with Confederate flags. Video footage captured someone removing a Biden/Harris flag from a front porch.

“The KCDCC feels that racism (and) white supremacy is a very serious matter that extends beyond partisan lines,” chair Evan Koch said in a message Wednesday to The Press. “All Americans should condemn it.”