‘Disappointing’: Horry County cross-burning victims react to failure of passing hate crimes bill
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW)– The 2023-2024 regular session of the South Carolina General Assembly has ended, and supporters who want the state to implement a hate crimes law will have to wait a little bit longer.
The bill, known as the Clementa C. Pickney Act, would have enhanced penalties for violent crimes fueled by hate. It’s named after a state senator and one of the nine victims of the 2015 church shooting in Charleston.
The bill previously passed the house in March of 2023, where it then went to a Senate committee and sat undebated on the chamber’s calendar for nearly a year.
This March, that committee approved the bill and sent it to the full Senate, where it later died without a floor vote for the second legislative session in a row.
Calls for the bill’s passage had a new push in November, after a racially motivated cross burning incident in Horry County.
News13 spoke with those victims, Monica and Shawn Williams, who said not passing the bill causes a trickle-down effect.
“It sends a clear message that you are not understanding the priority of passing a hate crime bill,” said Monica Williams.
Those weary of the bill suggest many crimes are caused by hatred, and that it’s dangerous to try and discern someone’s thoughts.
“The governor (Henry McMaster) has always said, he’s very leery of how you legislate what somebody’s thinking,” said South Carolina Lt. Governor Pamela Evette. “And so, he has always said he would need to see what’s coming out of the General Assembly before he could say if he would be for it or not.”
All 170 General Assembly members are up for election, so bills could face a different legislative environment in the 2025 session.
“We’re going to stay hopeful that this does come to fruition and that they will dig deep in their hearts and souls and know the importance of passing hate crime bills and hate crime law,” said Monica.
“We’re continuing to work with agencies such as the NAACP, the National Action Network, and other organizations who would want to join us in the march towards justice. In the end, the people of South Carolina will benefit from it,” said Shawn.
McMaster will hold a press conference to talk about the end of the legislative session on Monday.
Count on News13 for updates.
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Savannah Denton joined News 13 in July 2023 as a reporter and producer. Savannah is from Atlanta, Georgia, and is a graduate of the University of Alabama. Follow Savannah on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of her work here.
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