"Do not go down": a dispute over a large American flag leads to prosecution, fines

STATESVILLE, NC – A long-running dispute over a large American flag floating outside a RV store has been litigated.

The city of Statesville, North Carolina, wants the flag removed or replaced by a smaller flag because it violates a city ordinance. Camping World said the city had filed an injunction for a $ 50-a-day fine on the company, dating from October 15, 2018, according to the WSOC. That's about $ 11,000.

The company sports the 40-foot flag on the 80-foot exterior of its recreational vehicle location in Gander to pay tribute to veterans. Both sides reached a compromise last year by creating an exemption for a flag larger than the city's ordinance allows, but it was not as big as the one Camping World wanted. The city says that a flag within 100 feet of a highway can not exceed 25 feet by 40 feet.

The company has continued to display its large flag, a source of conflict between the city and society since 2015.

"I'm crazy if it goes to $ 500 a day. Marcus Lemonis, CEO of Camping World and Gander RV, told WSOC.

Lemonis said the company was wielding big flags in dozens of stores across the country.

"My family was car dealerships, dealers since the 1960s, and our main brand still carried our flag at our dealership in South Florida," he said. "My family is largely composed of immigrants from the country."

A spokesman for the city said that Statesville had only begun to fine the company after repeatedly asking it to replace the flag with a smaller flag.

An online petition supporting the company has collected more than 133,000 signatures Wednesday morning.