An event planned for tonight to raise money for a student with a heart condition was cancelled late Monday afternoon after the manager of the host learned that publicity for the event included a purple and gold Confederate flag.
Eric Broussard, manager of the downtown bar Parrot Beach, cancelled the event, saying he did not approve the use of the controversial flag on fliers and that he did not want a “mob” showing up in negative response to the advertisements.
The party was planned to raise money for medical procedures for University student Emerson Baty.
In addition to the flag, the fliers feature black and white clasped hands and the photos of University basketball players Seimone Augustus and Tack Minor, who were scheduled to face off in a freestyle contest.
The fliers were passed out last weekend at Greek Fest.
When initially contacted by The Daily Reveille, organizer Charleston Wilson, a nursing sophomore, said the flier was not meant to offend anyone and that there were even plans to burn a Confederate flag at the party. He said the point of the flier was to “bring light” to recent issues between Southern University and LSU.
Southern students recently voiced concern over comments made by LSUPD Maj. Mark Shaw that led to the cancelation of an event for Salt ‘N’ Pepper, a series of events sponsored by both traditionally white and traditionally black Greek organizations to bring together black and white students at LSU and Southern.
Shaw told Salt ‘N’ Pepper organizers he was concerned Southern students might cause security problems.
Wilson said he intended to “clear up any type of beef” between LSU and Southern students.
When contacted by The Daily Reveille, Broussard said he did not know about the flier and that all he knew was that the party was supposed to benefit a student with a heart condition.
Broussard said the $5 cover charge at the door and 10 percent of alcohol sales were going to help Baty’s medical treatment.
Broussard said the flier he approved included Baty’s picture and simply stated that the party was to raise money for his treatment.
“If I had seen a Confederate flag of any color on any flier, I would not have approved,” Broussard said.
After Broussard learned about the fliers with the Confederate flag, he contacted Wilson and told him to stop distributing them.
Wilson said Broussard told him that if The Daily Reveille published a story about the flier, he would cancel the party because he was concerned about bad publicity.
After talking to Broussard, Wilson told The Daily Reveille the party had two purposes: to raise money and to unite Southern and LSU students.
Wilson said he cancelled the second aspect of the party, bringing together students from the two campuses, and that no more fliers with the flag would be distributed until he learned Parrot Beach would no longer host the entire event.
Broussard was not available for comment after Wilson told The Daily Reveille the party had been cancelled.
Joy Harbor, who works at Vivid Images, which printed the fliers, said she designed the flier for Wilson, who asked for the Confederate flag.
Harbor, who is black, said she was surprised about the request because Wilson is black. She said she did not ask for details because she was “just doing [her] job.”
“The first thing that popped up in my mind was that it’s a racist flier,” Harbor said.
When first contacted by The Daily Reveille, Wilson said he designed the flier. At a second attempt to contact him after he spoke with Broussard, Wilson said someone named “Mike” went behind his back and distributed the flier.
“It was strictly one person’s idea,” Wilson said.
Minor, who was pictured on the flier, said that while he knew the party was intended to benefit someone with a heart condition, he did not know he had been pictured with a Confederate flag.
Minor said he did not appreciate being featured with the flag.
Jeremy Gathe, a mass communication sophomore who is black, said the flier was disrespectful.
Gathe said he thought the idea of the two hands shaking was to symbolize the idea of unity, but that the flag got in the way of that idea.
“How can something like that be unifying?” he said.