It's past time to pass hate crime legislation in SC. The Charleston tragedy makes this more important than ever.
Why is this important?
Our state still has no hate crime legislation. Since 2013 there've been 51 documented hate crime incidents. South Carolina has 19 known hate groups, according to Southern Poverty Center data.
It's more imperative now than ever that all citizens no matter their race, creed, religion, or sexual orientation, are safe from violent persecution.
Passing this bill would be a huge step forward for this state; not only in real change in law; but also in perception and solidarity of our state.
