Georgetown discusses the creation of local hate crimes ordinance

Georgetown – Without signs that the legislators in South Carolina will adopt a nationwide law on hate crimes, Georgetown's leaders consider their own regulation.

Tamika Williams-Zeng, a member of the city council of Georgetown, said that such a regulation would offer all people additional protection-regardless of breed, religion, physical or intellectual disabilities, gender or sexual orientation. She said this discussion shouldn't be political.

“It is not a democrat or republican problem,” she said. “It's really a problem for me.”

If Georgetown passes the 20th community in the state, Georgetown is passed such a regulation.

Together with Wyoming, South Carolina is the only two states without a hate crime law at the state level. The Clementa C. Pinckney HATE CRIMES Act, which would impose an additional fine of up to 10,000 US dollars and up to another five years in prison for crimes that have proven to be bias and passed twice in the State House, but were pursued in the Senate.

It is named after the state legislature and pastor who was one of nine worshipers who were killed during a shootout in the Emanuel Ame Church in the city center of Charleston in 2015.

Charlie Barrineau, Field Services Manager of the South Carolina Community Association, said, although the Senate has discussed the bills again, he will not be confident that they will soon be saying goodbye.

The municipal association supports the rights of the municipalities to exercise “house rule”, or the ability to go to a certain extent without government consent. This includes the right to create hate crimes regulations without a nationwide law.

At a recent meeting of the city council, Barrineau gave a presentation about the process and the importance of creating a local hate crimes regulation.

He said it would enable Georgetown's community courts to impose people who commit hate crimes to impose additional fines and prison hours. As it looks, these additional punishments could only be enforced for national cases according to the law on federal hate crimes.

He suggested that the Council on Greenville's Ordinance are looking as a model. It created a separate crime of the “Bias-based intimidation”, which enables additional punishments for crimes motivated by hate.

Several cities in the region, including Myrtle Beach, Mount Pleasant and Conway, have passed local regulations.

William Pierce, chief of police from Georgetown, said he was neither for nor against the creation of a local hate crime ordinance. He informed the Council that in his 32 years of working in local law enforcement, he had only seen a handful of cases in which such a regulation could have been applied.

Nevertheless, Williams-Zeng said that it is important that the city is proactive. The regulation would serve as a preventive measure and as an explanation of the city's values.

Mayor Carol Jayroe said that the improvement of the punishments would make it clear that Georgetown has a zero tolerance policy for hate crimes.

“I think we have to be there,” she said.

Williams-Zeng said she hoped that there will be enough support to appear on the agenda at the next council meeting.

“I hope to be the voice of conscience for the advice and that you will see this from all perspectives and do the right one,” she said.