One prominent Democrat hopes that the electrical fire that gutted the Atlanta landmark OK Cafe burned up the carving of Georgia’s 1956 flag, complete with the controversial Confederate battle emblem, that hung on the restaurant’s wall.
Bobby Kahn, the former chief-of-staff to Gov. Roy Barnes and longtime Democratic guru, said he urged the manager to take the painting down during his last visit to the restaurant.
“They told me it was artwork, and that they weren’t going to take it down,” said Kahn. “They need to change that flag.”
The restaurant’s rehabilitation is plagued by delays since the December fire, but it’s expected to open its doors within months. Kahn doesn’t seem to be alone.
Susan DeRose, the restaurant’s owner, said she hasn’t decided how she will redecorate the restaurant, which she said has “always stood with an open mind and an open heart.” But she said Kahn’s protest will have nothing to do with her decision.
“It’s a part of my history, and my history has absolutely nothing to do with prejudice against anyone,” said DeRose, who is from Athens. “I was around when that flag flew on the day that Martin Luther King Jr. was buried. I also was around that women and blacks didn’t have the same civil rights under the American flag. Does Bobby want to change that flag, too?”
She added: “If Bobby has an idea what color I should make the booths and the tables, he should call and let me know.”
For Kahn, this must be deja vu. He was Barnes’ top aide in 2001 when the governor made his transformative call to change the 1956 flag.
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