In a historic and bold move, Richland County Council has unanimously passed the first county-level hate intimidation ordinance in the state of South Carolina, led by Councilmember Tyra Little. With this vote, Richland County becomes a trailblazer in the Palmetto State, standing against hate and taking legislative action to protect vulnerable communities.
Under this new ordinance, it will be unlawful for a person to cause fear, intimidation, harm, or damage to a person or person’s property because of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, or disability. It also empowers law enforcement with the tools to formally recognize and respond to these acts as hate crimes—something that has not been available under South Carolina law. If convicted, violators would face an additional misdemeanor charge, which could come with an additional $500 fine or extra jail time.
South Carolina remains one of only two states—along with Wyoming—that has not enacted a statewide hate crime law. In response to this glaring gap in protection, Little introduced the local ordinance to ensure that overt acts of hate and violence would not be neglected within Richland County…