The City of Isle of Palms City Council voted unanimously in support of an amendment to an ordinance on offenses against public peace. The amendment would add regulations on hate intimidation and hate-related crimes. A second reading of the ordinance will be addressed at a later date.
The ordinance is intended to protect Isle of Palms residents and visitors from acts motivated by bias based on race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age or economic status.
Isle of Palms took the initiative to enact the ordinance in response to South Carolina being one of only two states in the nation without official hate crime legislation.
Other area municipalities that have recently passed similar hate crime ordinances include North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, and Summerville. The goal is to send a message that hate crimes will not be tolerated in these communities.
Violators would be subject to a $500 fine and/or imprisonment for up to 30 days. Community service may also be imposed. Restitution to the victim would be authorized as well.
South Carolina was ranked second lowest for hate crime reports in the United States in 2024, according to a study by High Rise Financial. The study found the state averages 1.14 hate crime incidents per 100,000 residents. Alaska had the lowest rate.
Although the number of hate crimes in South Carolina is relatively low, municipalities like Isle of Palms hope that enacting ordinances against these acts will continue to deter perpetrators.
Supporters hope that as more municipalities adopt hate crime legislation, others across the state will follow suit.
It has been 10 years since the hate crime at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston, where nine people were killed during a Bible study. Polly Sheppard, a survivor of the tragedy, continues to advocate for hate crime laws in South Carolina.
The effort is also advancing at the county level. Richland County was the first in the state to enact a hate crime ordinance.
State Rep. Wendell Gilliard has also pushed for hate crime legislation. On the 10th anniversary of the Mother Emanuel shooting, he noted that 78% of South Carolinians support a statewide hate crime law.
Hate crime laws in communities, supporters say, help turn tragedy into positive change.