Mount Pleasant Town Council passes first reading of two ordinances targeting hate crimes

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – A pair of ordinances aimed at enhancing penalties for hate crimes in Mount Pleasant is one step closer to becoming official.

On Tuesday, Mount Pleasant Town Council approved the first reading of two ordinances, which both passed at the Police, Judicial, and Legal Committee meeting last Monday.

The proposed “Hate Intimidation” ordinance would add another layer of penalties against someone who commits a crime based on factors such as race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or a disability, among others.

The other item that passed is to amend an ordinance on handbills, essentially making it illegal to distribute any type at private residences, except for newspapers and mail. The amendment would also add increased punishment for a violation involving intimidation or threats.

The idea for hate crime legislation on the local level came up in October after leaders said hundreds of antisemitic flyers were distributed throughout several Mount Pleasant neighborhoods.

“Unfortunately, there are people, and I will always maintain they are from out of town, that think it is ok to come into Mount Pleasant and under the cowardly cover of darkness, spread these hate-filled pamphlets on other people’s property. You are free to say that in the public all day, that’s free speech and that’s constitutionally protected. To put it on someone’s property with the intention of intimidating them with your hate, there is no place for that in Mount Pleasant,” said Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie.

Shirley Mills is the daughter of Holocaust survivors and calls Mount Pleasant home. She and other members of the Jewish community stood before council on Tuesday to show their support for the legislation.

“We have to unite and I’m not talking about just Jewish people, because its all of us. Our race, our gender, our religion, everything. But we all have the same skeletons, we have the same blood, and we need to be together to make it a kinder world where we don’t grow up with fear,” Mills told News 2.

If passed, violations of the ordinances could result in a misdemeanor charge, a fine of up to $500 and/or up to 30 days in jail.

The ordinances will come before council in a month for the second reading.