Dear ACLU Supporter,

Another month has flown by! Below, please find a summary of the ACLU’s work throughout May. As always, please feel free to reach out if you have questions, comments, or want to have a dialogue about our programming. Thank you for making this work possible!

In the Legislature

The General Assembly officially concluded its regular session on May 13. To say our legislators’ priorities were misguided this session is an understatement. Folks across South Carolina face pressing and immediate issues that need addressing, including an ongoing global pandemic where too many have limited access to health care, people required to return to in-person work who must choose between their health and a paycheck, incarcerated people who are locked in crowded facilities where social distancing is impossible, and others. Instead of addressing these and countless other issues, our lawmakers worked to pass legislation to ban abortion, grant sweeping immunity for religious groups, discriminate against transgender youth, expand the death penalty, and further restrict access to the ballot.

Fortunately, the news wasn’t all bad. Our work to eliminate inhumane and counterproductive criminal punishments continues to make progress, and we, along with our amazing coalition partners, were able to stop many of the harmful bills filed this session, including attacks on LGBTQ people, attempts to roll back voting rights, and efforts to use religion to discriminate.

Click here to read an in-depth report on our work to protect our civil rights and civil liberties at the legislature this session.

In the Community

Bringing Mobile Justice to South Carolina: Just over one year ago, the Minneapolis Police Department released a press statement that read: “Man Dies After Medical Incident During Police Interaction.” That man was George Floyd, and we know the truth behind his murder despite the system’s best efforts to cover up or hide the truth. We know his story because his killing was caught on tape.

This video, and other videos captured by bystanders witnessing police brutality, have not only highlighted police violence, but also the ways law enforcement has misrepresented the truth. That’s why we released a free Mobile Justice App. This app enables people in the community to record police encounters, stream them to selected family and friends, and report them directly to the ACLU. The app also empowers community members with information regarding their rights as well as important actions in their area.

We hope this app can help with accountability, but we know it will never ensure justice. Justice would mean these incidents never occur in the first place. While we work to address the structural issues holding back true public safety in our communities, we must also continue to hold individual bad actors accountable. There’s where the Mobile Justice App comes in.

Jamal Sutherland’s Killing: Jamal Sutherland should still be alive today. His death was a result of a carceral system that systematically destroys Black lives and communities. Mr. Sutherland was a mental health patient at Palmetto Lowcountry Behavioral Health, seeking treatment for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. During the course of treatment, he had an altercation with another patient and was arrested by North Charleston police before being transferred to the Al Cannon Detention Center. Mr. Sutherland was killed by Charleston County Sheriff’s deputies the next day after being repeatedly tasered and shot with pepper spray. Mr. Sutherland’s death was caught on camera, but for months the law enforcement agencies involved refused to release the video evidence.

We worked to bring together the Justice for All coalition, a group of organizations and advocates who joined forces to bring about accountability for Mr. Sutherland’s death and make sure that what happened to Mr. Sutherland does not happen to another person. Last month, we secured our first two coalition demands – the release of the video footage surrounding the killing of Mr. Sutherland at the Al Cannon Detention Center and the termination of the two deputies directly involved. Our coalition worked day and night to organize multiple in-person demonstrations that led to securing these two demands. The ACLU stands in solidarity with our partners and the Sutherland family while the fight for justice continues.

Charleston County Sheriff Graziano Fulfills Some Campaign Promises to the ACLU: During the course of her campaign, Sheriff Graziano made several pledges to the ACLU, and we are pleased she is beginning to follow through on those promises.  On her first full day in office, Sheriff Graziano fulfilled the ACLU’s number one demand – ending Charleston County’s 287(g) agreement with the federal government. This program turned local sheriff’s deputies into enforcers of federal immigration law which created distrust between immigrant communities and the police. In addition to ending the 287(g) agreement, Sheriff Graziano also committed to supporting the reallocation of a portion of the Sheriff’s Department budget to life-affirming county services. Last month, Sheriff Graziano partially fulfilled this commitment when she went on the record in support of the elimination of 40 Sheriff’s Department jail deputy positions from the latest budget proposal, with half of those positions being reallocated to Emergency Medical Services. This is a step in the right direction, and we will continue to hold Sheriff Graziano accountable on these and other promises moving forward.

In the Courts

Governor McMaster’s Return to In-Person Work Order: In March, Governor McMaster issued an order to state agencies to “immediately expedite” non-essential state employees’ return to in-person work. We had concerns about this order’s disparate impacts on women, people with disabilities, and caregivers, and brought litigation asking for an injunction on the order’s implementation. Our lawsuit was victorious in securing a clarification from the Governor that state agencies and institutions can permit new remote work agreements. As a result of this shift in the Governor’s position, our lead plaintiff was granted an accommodation from her state agency to continue working remotely. We also created and distributed a FAQ that outlines the process state employees should follow to ask for an accommodation from their state agency.

Last month, we, along with the national ACLU, asked the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to take immediate steps to investigate the implementation of the Executive Order. In our complaint we asked the EEOC to temporarily halt the operation of the mandate that employees return to work in person, ensure that state employees with disabilities receive reasonable accommodations including remote work, and provide relief to those workers who have suffered harmful effects of the Governor’s order.

In the Media

Return to In-Person Work:

Mobile Justice:

Death Penalty:

Public Safety:

Reproductive Rights:

Thank You

Generous supporters like you make this advocacy possible. We are immeasurably grateful to have you as a partner in this important work. Truly, thank you. Please feel free to reach out if you have questions, comments, or want to discuss our work more deeply. Thank you again.

In solidarity,

ACLU of SC team

Stay informed

People Power

View Campaign