The Killeen City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously against a resolution that would have allowed the city to fly the Juneteenth flag at City Hall June 18-20.
The NAACP-Killeen Branch spoke out against the resolution during citizens comments, expressing concerns that it would open Pandoraâs box and allow other flags to be flown at City Hall as well.
âFlying the Juneteenth flag would make it where other groups and organizations could make the same request of their flags to be flown. And yes, Iâm even talking about the Confederate flag or the LGBTQ flag,â Samuel Powell said during citizensâ comments on Tuesday. Powell made the comments on behalf of NAACP-Killeen Branch President TaNeika Driver-Moultrie.
The Killeen City Council unanimously approved a Memorandum of Agreement for the Committee for Crime Solutions at a regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday night.
The committee was proposed by Councilmember Ken Wilkerson and would include members from Killeen, Bell County, the Killeen Independent School District and Fort Hood.
Harker Heights has pulled out of the committee due to being involved in other programs, according to Wilkerson.
Wilkerson said the goal of the committee is to study crime with data provided by Texas A&M University-Central Texas, decrease crime around the area and provide solutions to prevent it.
Wilkerson gave a more in-depth look at the prospective impact of the proposed committee during an interview prior to Tuesdayâs meeting.
The Killeen City Council will meet at 5 p.m.Tuesday to vote on issues discussed at last weekâs workshop session.
Among the items is a resolution to fly the Juneteenth Flag at city hall from June 18-20, but only for this year. Juneteenth refers to June 19, a date that many Texas slaves learned of their freedom. President Abraham Lincolnâs Emancipation Proclamation went into effect Jan. 1, 1863, but word did not get to Texas until June 19, 1865. Juneteenth is celebrated annually in Killeen, throughout Texas and other states.
The item was originally discussed as an ordinance using official state holidays as a guide, which would allow the flag to be flown every year. Per City Attorney Traci Briggs that list includes all national holidays, as well as Confederate Heroes Day, Texas Independence Day, San Jacinto Day, Junteenth, LBJ Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
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The Killeen City Council had no further discussion Tuesday on the creation of a Killeen Community Crime Committee as it prepares to approve or deny a resolution officially forming the committee next week.
The committee, proposed by Councilmember Ken Wilkerson, would include members from Killeen, Harker Heights, Bell County, the Killeen Independent School District and Fort Hood. The purpose of the committee is to study crime, recommend solutions to decrease crime and coordinate and execute efforts, according to the meeting presentation.
The goal of the committee is to decrease crime in the area, with a focus on safety and quality of life.