J.P. Pugh , 73, stood looking at the Confederate Monument with a ever so slight smile at noon Wednesday.

He said he had driven 45 minutes from Lowndes County "see for myself if it was true."

At the nearby Scott Street Grocery, a popular sandwich shop, customers were talking about the removal of the flags.

"I think Bentley caved to the liberals and the chicken s..t Republicans who are running for president," said Dan Miller of Evergreen in town for a business meeting. "I hate what happened in Charleston. But that is going to be used to erase 150 years of southern history and heritage and it's just BS."

Carol Woods, 60, was visibly upset standing about 50 yards from the Confederate Monument starring at the downed flag polls and shaking her head.

"I just don't believe Bentley did this to us. I had people who fought and died under those flags. They didn't mean hate to us. They meant courage. I'm ashamed of Alabama today and I'm ashamed I wasted my vote on a traitor like Robert Bentley. I just could cry."

At a table in the Scott Street Grocery 33-year-old Brad Roberts of Autauga County sat eating a turkey sandwich.

Roberts said he had no problem with Bentley removing the flags.

"I assume they'll go put them in the state archives of a museum. That's where they belong. I just wish some day we can move past all the race stuff, the gay marriage stuff and just move into the 21st century. Maybe today Bentley helped with doing that."