North Charleston, SC – On October 28, organizers with the Lowcountry Action Committee (LAC), a branch of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, attended a North Charleston Police Department (NCPD) Town Hall meeting to stand in solidarity with Black young people who have been brutalized by police for selling Palmetto Roses at various stores in North Charleston.

In September a CVS drugstore employee harassed and profiled a 17-year-old attempting to shop in the store. He was subsequently tackled and aggressively restrained by NCPD officers who arrived on the scene after the employee falsely claimed he threatened her with a knife – a misunderstanding due to his use of the common colloquialism “bands” in reference to having money. Many are upset that charges were filed against him for third-degree assault and breach of peace and not the CVS employee for filing a false report.

The town hall was led by NCPD Chief Ron Camacho and was advertised as an open conversation and “opportunity to engage with local leaders” but community organizers felt that, in practice, the event was an attempt by NCPD to control the narrative surrounding their recent brutalizations. The family of Walter Scott, who was shot in the back and killed by an NCPD officer in 2015, attended the town hall out of concern for what they believe is the inevitability of another police killing of an unarmed Black person. Chief Camacho stated he had plans to assemble and lead an “advisory board” to address community concerns, but local organizers pushed back.

“We don’t want an advisory board,” LAC co-founder Erica Veal said. “We want community control of the police.” Veal went on to describe an all-civilian elected council with final authority over police policy, oversight policy, and budget, including writing and reviewing, hiring, firing and subpoena power. Attendees also asked how community members who made false reports against Palmetto Rose artists would be held accountable. But answers from the panel of officers were unclear.

This past July, a white Circle K store employee called the police on a young artist who makes Palmetto Roses, claiming vandalism after the teenager tucked a bunch of Palmetto Roses into a vase of water. The incident went viral on social media. The police response was overwhelming, with eight officers and a K-9 unit arriving to help former Corporal Casey Ray Pace detain the juvenile. He was released without charges, and the corporal was suspended and eventually fired, but the damage to the young artist and community had already been done.

NCPD debuted a public service announcement they created in response to the admitted officer misconduct. “They played this PSA video about how children need to treat the police but refused to accept criticism of how they engage with children,” said LAC member Alfred Peeler. “The brunt of their message was blaming children and parents for the actions of police.”

The police coordinated with Charles Middleton, a leader in the police’s Reclaiming Every Community Around Peace (RECAP) program, who correlated the rise of police violence toward children to the ending of “prayer in schools” and lack of corporal punishment on the part of parents. When pressed about the need for violence interrupters and “a community group to be trained to take calls that don’t go to police,” Chief Camacho asked for research of its effectiveness.

LAC will hold a press conference on Friday, October 31, at 11 am in Ralph M. Hendricks Park in response to the NCPD’s lack of accountability during the town hall. They plan to discuss their demands for community control and provide a platform for community members who were silenced during the town hall to share their views.

#NorthCharlestonSC #SC #InJusticeSystem #LAC #NAARPR #PoliceCrimes

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