Indiana State Fair asks vendors to drop Confederate goods

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Vendors at the Indiana State Fair have been asked to stop selling goods with Confederate symbols.

The Indianapolis Star says the fair received complaints about Confederate flag items sold by a leather vendor. Spokeswoman Sharon Smith says the request was made "in light of current events." In Charlottesville, Virginia, white nationalists violently clashed with opponents.

Smith says the majority of vendors at the fair don't have Confederate goods. A similar request was made in 2015 after nine people were killed at a black church in South Carolina.

Leon's Breakaway Outfitters, a state fair vendor for 50 years, says it stop selling items with the Confederate flag years ago. Jim Foy, a cashier, says "times have changed" and the leather business doesn't want to offend anybody.

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Information from: The Indianapolis Star, http://www.indystar.com