Spirits soar at 1st S.C. funeral

Police on hand as burials begin for church massacre victims

Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon (second from left), Gov. Nikki Haley and Charleston Mayor Joseph Riley attend the funeral service Thursday for Ethel Lance at Emanuel AME Church in North Charleston, S.C.
Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon (second from left), Gov. Nikki Haley and Charleston Mayor Joseph Riley attend the funeral service Thursday for Ethel Lance at Emanuel AME Church in North Charleston, S.C.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. -- A choir and band launched into one of Ethel Lance's favorite gospel tunes and roused hundreds of mourners from their seats Thursday at the first funeral for victims of the massacre at a historic black church.

People stood to clap, nod and sway -- some closing their eyes under the exertion of the cathartic singing. Ushers walked through the aisles with boxes of tissues for people to dab their tears as an organ, drums and bass guitar played along.

The service was fitting for the 70-year-old Charleston native with "an infectious smile," said the church's interim leader, the Rev. Norvel Goff. Lance served with vigor as an officer at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, he said.

"When it was time for the ushers to usher, she had the usher strut," Goff said. "When sister Lance praised the Lord, you had to strap on your spiritual seat belt."

Lance and eight other Emanuel church members were killed when a gunman walked into a Bible study June 17 and opened fire in what police have called a racially motivated attack.

In addition to Lance's funeral, services for Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, 45, also were held Thursday afternoon. Funerals for the other victims were set to happen over the next week, including one today for the church pastor, the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, who also was a state lawmaker.

Police officers stood guard and checked bags as mourners filed in for Lance's funeral, which was held as a debate over the Confederate flag and other Old South symbols continued. The 21-year-old man charged in the killings, Dylann Storm Roof, had posed with the Confederate battle flag in photos posted online before the attack.

Mississippi has the only state flag in the nation that still includes the Confederate symbol -- a blue X with 13 stars, over a red field.

Republican Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn, Democratic state Attorney General Jim Hood and both of the state's Republican U.S. senators, Roger Wicker and Thad Cochran, said this week that their state should change its flag to a design that would unify people.

But Republican Gov. Phil Bryant said Thursday that he will not call state lawmakers back to the Capitol for a special session to consider removing the Confederate emblem from the flag.

"As has been my long-standing practice, I will not call a special legislative session for something other than a natural disaster or a major economic development project," the governor said.

Meanwhile, a monument to former Confederate President Jefferson Davis had the phrase "Black Lives Matter" spray-painted on it Thursday in Richmond, Va., the latest of several monuments to be defaced around the country.

A small group from the Southern heritage advocacy group Virginia Flaggers waved Confederate Flags next to the monument Thursday. Some people in cars driving by honked in support of the Virginia Flaggers. Others yelled obscenities at the group.

While the group was there, 20-year-old Caleb Pollard ran around it, shirtless with American flag-themed leggings and underwear. He wore an American flag as a cape and pointed to it, asking the group: "Why don't you raise this flag?"

Some authorities have worried openly about a backlash as people take matters into their own hands. On Tuesday and Wednesday, black churches in Charlotte, N.C., and Macon, Ga., were intentionally set afire, police said.

In Memphis, the mayor there said he thinks the grave and statue of Ku Klux Klan leader, Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest should be removed from a city park.

Gov. Nikki Haley started the groundswell against Confederate icons Monday by successfully calling on South Carolina lawmakers to debate taking down the Confederate battle flag flying in front of the Statehouse after it was revealed that Roof had a Confederate license plate and had posed with Civil War-era symbols.

Images on a website created in his name months before the attacks show him posing with the flag and burning and desecrating the U.S. flag. He also poses at Confederate museums, former slave plantations and slave graves.

At Lance's funeral, a family friend said she was glad to see so many states taking action.

"Knowing the tragedy that happened, with the young man holding the flag up, it's time for it to come down," said Alexis Mouzon, who went to high school with Lance's daughter.

Meanwhile, Boyd Young, who represents members of Roof's family, issued a statement on their behalf saying they would answer questions from the media later but wanted to allow the victims' families to grieve.

"We feel it would be inappropriate to say anything at this time other than that we are truly sorry for their loss," the statement said.

Information for this article was contributed by Alan Suderman and Emily Wagster Pettus of The Associated Press.

A Section on 06/26/2015

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