Confederate flag in front of Paris Inn in Wayne taken down by Vietnam War veteran

The Confederate battle flag that mysteriously appeared on a pole in front of the former Paris Inn in Wayne was removed on Tuesday by a Vietnam War veteran who said he could not stand the sight of it.

Stewart Resmer, 67, a township resident, said he read a story about the rebel flag on NorthJersey.com that morning and decided to take the matter into his own hands.

Resmer said he drove to the former banquet hall, at 1292 Alps Road; pulled down the flag from the white metal pole; and replaced it with an American flag.

"The battle flag of the Confederacy is not going to fly around here, if I can do anything about it," said Resmer, a retired mechanic who served in the Marine Corps from 1969-1970. "I won't stand for it."

"Running up mountains, and planting American flags, is part of a Marine's DNA," he said, proudly, alluding to the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima, the famous moment of triumph during World War II.

The Confederate flag is regarded by many to be a symbol of racism, slavery and white supremacy. So, when it inexplicably showed up on the pole on Monday, it raised the eyebrows of Donna Brooks, who rents the house next-door to Paris Inn.

COLUMN:A Confederate battle flag rears its ugly head at the Paris Inn in Wayne

"I'm more annoyed than anything," said Brooks, 67, referring to the flag being put up in front of her house, which she moved into a year ago.

But, it is unclear what happened to the flag after Resmer took it down – he said he left it on the ground. Detective Lt. Christian Wittig said police were investigating its origin, but he declined to say whether they had confiscated it from the scene.

Brooks had said she thought there was an American flag on the pole as recently as last week.

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The Paris Inn property was sold at an auction to a restaurateur who plans to reopen the banquet hall. The original venue, which had been owned by the Petritsis family since 1973, abruptly closed in March 2017.

The new owner's identity is unknown. A search on a website, maintained by the Passaic County Clerk's Office, found no deed recorded for the property since the bank-ordered auction.

The pole is adjacent to a retaining wall, which runs along the entire frontage of Paris Inn, making it appear as if it is erected on the banquet hall's land. However, Brooks said she believes it is on hers.

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Brooks, whose husband is black, said she did not think her household was targeted because of his race.

Brooks' husband, Tommy, is a former boxer who now trains boxers in Atlantic City. He has trained a few prominent pugilists, including Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson and the Klitschko brothers.

"I don't think it's particularly geared toward me, or my husband," Brooks said. "I've lived in Wayne for 25 years, and I've never had any problems."

Email: devencentis@northjersey.com