Category Archives: SC News/Commentary

Abolitionists mobilize to save Troy Davis

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Today, one man’s life is on the line. This in and of itself is a regular occurrence in the United States. The unusual thing is that so many people from all stations in life have come together for the singular purpose of saving the life of Troy Anthony Davis. Over the weekend, hundreds of demonstrations took place all over the world. Earlier this morning, several hundred thousand more petitions were delivered to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, bringing the total number of petitions to nearly one million – and those are just those delivered by the coalition organizing around this case.

The Georgia State Board of pardons and Paroles began its hearing at 9am this morning. They alone are the final arbiters in this case. Amnesty International’s Program to Abolish the Death Penalty Director Laura Moye is on-site, and she just sent us this brief text message: “Large gathering at the Floyd Building. Family is grateful for all the support. 200,000 more petitions delivered this AM. Board is meeting all day. We wait…”

People who pray are doing exactly that. All of us are waiting. We expect a decision by this evening, or tomorrow morning. Whatever happens, there is much work still to be done in this case. Here is an outline of what we have planned for this week. Please lend your support as you are able and share with your contacts:

MONDAY

ATLANTA: 7:30am vigil outside “Sloppy” Floyd Building, 2 MLK Dr. – GSU Marta station, cross street is Piedmont. (9am hearing begins, closed to public and press) The decision may come down from the board as soon as late afternoon, though it is also possible they would issue it later in the evening or on Tuesday. The vigil will end when the decision is issued on Monday or TBD if it gets late Monday and a decision doesn’t appear to be in sight.

We will do our best to update people with the decision. You will surely find it in the news media as soon as it is made. We will also let folks know as best we can by email. Follow @lauramoye for tweets, or follow her tweet feed on justicefortroy.org.

TUESDAY

If Clemency is granted or the execution is temporarily stayed:

Atlanta: gathering of gratitude at 7pm at Central Presbyterian Church (across the street from the Capitol at (201 Washington St. SW; Atlanta, GA 30303) Everywhere: gatherings of gratitude and a call to commit to building the abolition movement are encouraged. Check with your state coalition to see what plans they have.

If clemency is denied:

  • We will urge the Board to reconsider, asking everyone to send more emails and faxes to the Board
    Tuesday will be a “Day of Protest”
    People are asked to wear a black armband, with “not in my name!” written on it
    ATLANTA: protest rally at the state capitol 7pm (Washington Street side);
  • Everywhere: protests are encouraged. Check with your state coalition to see what plans they have.

WEDNESDAY
If clemency is denied Wednesday will be a “Day of Vigil”. Wear black armband with “not in my name!” written on it

GEORGIA focal events:

a) vigil in Jackson across from the prison at Towaliga County Line Baptist Church;
b) vigil in Atlanta on the capitol steps

Everywhere else: vigils are encouraged. Check with your state coalition to see what plans they have.

Please know that NCADP is invested in this case because its the right thing to do, and also because so many of the aspects of this case speak to the same issues that are present in so many other cases which are not nearly as high-profile. Troy Davis is already a household name, and because our our collective action, over the coming weeks many more people will learn of the systemic failures of the death penalty, and join our movement.

There is so much to do, and we want to do more. Thank you for taking action, and if you are able, please also take a moment to support NCADP so that we can continue this important work, now, and in the future. Please remember that through the end of September, all new donors to NCADP will have their tax-deductible contribution doubled by a special matching grant from Atlantic Philanthropies. Click here to donate today. Thank you.

Finally, it must be said that Troy Davis is not the only person scheduled to be executed in the coming weeks and months. Of particular note is tonight’s execution in Texas of Cleve Foster. NCADP lists every upcoming execution on the top right side of its web page, and you can click on each name to learn more and take action via our State Affiliate where the execution is scheduled.

Thank you.

Abe

NCADP

Good-bye and good riddance, DODT!

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Sept. 20, 2011 is a day to celebrate! Why? Because it marks the official repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and we are celebrating loud and proud in South Carolina.

In Columbia, join SC Equality, The Harriet Hancock Center and Service Members Legal Defense Network (SLDN) for a celebration ceremony including comments from Rep. James Smith at the Veterans Memorial, followed by an after-party at Blue!

In Charleston, we partner with Take-Over Charleston, AFFA, and SLDN for a celebration including live music and great speakers at Taco Boy! Details here.

SC Equality and AFFA are longtime members of the SC Progressive Network.

Town halls expand Network’s voter ID campaign

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The SC Progressive Network is holding a series of community forums titled “Voter ID and the new Jim Crow.” Network Director Brett Bursey will moderate. Each event will include a Q&A session and instructions for activists to work the issue in their community.

The forums will address the moving target of DOJ pre-clearance, and where we should put our efforts to try and stop it. The meeting will recognize photo ID as a symptom of larger problems, and will focus discussion on sharpening a strategy to address The Big Picture.

The Network is planning a statewide summit on Oct. 29 in Columbia to sharpen our focus and efforts. Details and agenda to be posted as they become available.

Call  803-808-3384 or email network@scpronet.com for details or to schedule a meeting in your area.

•  •  •

Sept. 12, Florence: 7pm at Poyner Auditorium, 319 South Dargan St.

Sept. 15, Beaufort: 6:30pm at Golden Corral, 122 Robert Smalls Pkwy. or Hwy. 170. Come early if you want to have dinner.

Sept. 20, Charleston: 7pm at ILA Hall, 1142 Morrison Dr.

Sept. 22, Greenville: 7pm at Furman University, Younts Conference Center.

The continuing toll of 9/11

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Number of people killed in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, when al-Qaeda operatives hijacked jetliners and crashed them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field: 2,996

Date on which then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld ordered aides to look for evidence of Iraqi involvement in the attacks: 9/11/2001

Of the 19 identified hijackers, number who were Iraqis: 0

Date on which the U.S. and its allies launched strikes in Afghanistan against al-Qaeda and its ally, the Islamist militia Taliban: 10/7/2001

Date on which the U.S. and U.K. launched war against Iraq after claiming it was hiding weapons of mass destruction: 3/20/2003

Number of those alleged Iraqi weapons of mass destruction that were ultimately found: 0

Estimated number of civilian casualties in Iraq since the 2003 invasion: 102,416-111,937

Estimated number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan through 2010: 8,832

Number of coalition forces killed to date in Afghanistan: 2,705

Number of those forces killed that were U.S. troops: 1,760

Number of coalition forces killed to date in Iraq: 4,792

Number of those forces killed that were U.S. troops: 4,474

Of the over 6,200 U.S. troops killed to date in Afghanistan and Iraq, percent that were from the South: 34

Number of U.S. troops still in Afghanistan: about 100,000

Number of U.S. troops still occupying Iraq: almost 50,000

Total number of U.S. veterans who have served in Afghanistan or Iraq over the past decade: 1.6 million

Estimated cost of future disability payments and health care for those veterans: $600 billion to $900 billion

Number of U.S. veterans thought to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression: 300,000

Number of U.S. veterans who commit suicide each year: 6,500

Percent by which the Army suicide rate has increased over the past decade: almost 200

Date on which a federal appeals court ruled that the Department of Veterans Affairs was failing to properly care for vets with combat-related mental illnesses: 5/10/2011

Total direct U.S. government spending on the Afghanistan and Iraq wars so far: $2,000,000,000,000

Amount that represents per U.S. household: $17,000

Percent by which bills yet to be received are expected to increase this amount: more than 50

Amount the U.S. is expected to spend this year on the war in Iraq: $48 billion

On the war in Afghanistan: $122 billion

Number of children who could be provided with health care for two years with the money being spent on those two wars in 2011 alone: 43 million

Compiled by the Institute for Southern Studies

Home is where your heart is

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By Christine Johnson
SC Equality

I was frankly a little scared when I returned to South Carolina for employment in 2010. Raised in Charleston 30 years ago and recalling the discrimination my African-American friends endured, I suspected that as an open lesbian, I might face similar discrimination and lack of understanding. I knew some people would think I “chose” to be lesbian and that I was both unpatriotic and godless. I knew many would not understand the way I value family and treasure authenticity or my profound respect for the Constitution.

When I came home, however, I remembered that I was also proud of the richness of diversity, culture and tradition that makes South Carolina my true home. We celebrate arguably the best cooking in the country and the most gracious hospitality, and we know the value of simple kindness. We are diverse in race, ethnicity and faith, and when it really comes down to it, we respect one another as fellow South Carolinians.

Make no mistake, I’ve found my fair share of unkind folk. I’ve been the target of disrespectful gestures, called tasteless names and heard jokes at my expense, but mostly found that “bless your heart” is the common response to sharing my sexual orientation and work in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy. In addition, I’ve found a LGBT community that, although challenged and discriminated against, thrives in my home state. And you know why? Because like you, South Carolina is their home too, and we share a similar adoration of this beautiful place.

People both in and out of South Carolina are surprised to learn that in 2008, the Williams Institute at UCLA Law School estimated there were 117, 500 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people living here. And according to the 2010 Census, there are 11, 532 same-sex couples in our state.

But the numbers shouldn’t surprise us, because there is no difference in the per capita number of homosexuals born in South Carolina than in California or New York — and apparently, home is where your heart is.

Last summer, S.C. Equality conducted a survey of more than 1,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender South Carolinians, from 44 of 46 counties. More than half had lived in South Carolina for more than 20 years, 86 percent were raised Protestant, 64 percent attend church, and nearly 10 percent had served in the armed forces. So there it is: We are growing in number and love our state, are patriotic and God-fearing, and I suspect that when all is said and done, there is no constitutional or justifiable reason to treat fellow South Carolinians as less than equal under the law.

Yes, there are those who perceive homosexuality a choice and a sin according to their beliefs, and I can respect that. But we cannot grant rights, protections and entitlement to only some people based upon our religious beliefs. Our federal Constitution grants equal protections, and creating classes of people based upon discrimination is unconstitutional. There’s simply no way around it.

So, we can agree to disagree, each with individual opinions and beliefs, voting our consciences, but at the end of the day, we are all South Carolinians with hopes and dreams for our families and our futures. Although there is much that makes us different, there is so much more that makes us one. Different isn’t bad, diversity is a blessing, and for me, home absolutely is where my heart is.

Johnson is a former two-term member of the Utah House of Representatives, and is executive director of S.C. Equality, a longtime member of the SC Progressive Network.

Disenfranchising voters is not American

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By Jaime R. Harrison
SCDP 1st Vice Chairman

My first political memory is sitting on the floor in front of the television watching the results of the 1984 Presidential election with my grandfather. I asked him hundreds of questions about the candidates, the White House, and past Presidents, and in his loving way, my grandfather attempted to answer each question to the best of his abilities.

Society would have classified my grandfather as a simple but hard-working man, a product of the segregated south. He didn’t have much money, he didn’t have much education, and he didn’t have a fancy job. But what he had and cherished was his dignity, his family, and his right to vote. It was a right that he didn’t always have — and sometimes didn’t even exercise. Nonetheless he felt it was a right that could not and would not be taken away from him.

The South Carolina Voter ID bill that was passed with GOP support and signed into law by Governor Haley, disenfranchised more than 180,000 South Carolina citizens, and if my grandfather was still alive it would have disenfranchised him as well (after having his leg amputated he no longer had a government issued Driver’s license).

Thanks to the efforts of the Democratic members of the Senate and House, the SC Progressive Network and others to oppose the bill on the grounds that it discriminates against minorities and seniors, the Department of Justice is asking for more information about the legislation.

As Americans – not as Democrats, nor as Republicans, but as Americans – we must keep the pressure on the DOJ, in the 60-day window we have to make sure the SC Voter ID bill is finally struck down. This bill not only affects our state but others across this nation, who are facing the same efforts to suppress voter participation.

As Americans, members of our armed forces have given their lives to help other nations realize the blessings of liberty and democracy. Politicians on both sides of the aisle applauded when Iraqi citizens were able to exercise the right to vote for the very first time. In Iraq, one woman stated that voting for the first time was “as if I’ve just been born” and another stated that it was “the best thing I have actually ever done in my life.”

How as a nation can we sacrifice the lives of our children so that others may enjoy the fruits and practice of democracy, but find every possible way to disenfranchise citizens on our very own soil? Our leaders should make it easier for citizens to be a part of our thriving democracy.

My grandfather passed away in 2004, and one of the last things that we did together was that I took him to cast his last vote for President. I got into politics and became a lawyer because I wanted to make a difference and prove that the American dream could work for everyone – rich or poor, black or white. Disenfranchising voters is not American, and the SC Voter ID bill is more of an American nightmare rather than the fulfillment of the American dream.

Folks like my grandfather are counting on all of us to do everything within our means to make sure that this law and others like it are not enacted. Contact the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division (vot1973c@usdoj.gov) and share your thoughts on this unjust legislation.

Feds find SC’s photo ID law inadequate

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As state works to satisfy DOJ’s questions, SC Progressive Network will continue to educate and mobilize SC voters

By Becci Robbins
SC Progressive Network Communication Director

The US Dept. of Justice denied approval of South Carolina’s new voter ID law on Aug. 29, giving the state another 60 days to make its case. As required by the Civil Rights Act, DOJ has been reviewing the law to ensure that it does not abridge the rights of minority voters.

In its ruling, DOJ asked the state eight questions about procedures on obtaining photo voter registration cards, funding for voter education and poll worker training, and the process for casting provisional ballots when a voter has no photo ID.

The SC Progressive Network filed voter affidavits and comments with DOJ, highlighting the burdens posed on rural, poor and minority voters, and the likelihood of the law’s unequal enforcement.

DOJ raised many of the concerns the Network has about how the state will work around the burden posed by voters needing a birth certificate to get the required DMV ID card. The final version of the bill included a provision that a registered voter could obtain a photo voter registration card – pending funding – that would serve as acceptable ID without mandating a birth certificate. One camera for each county office has been funded for this purpose. The cards will be made in Columbia and mailed to voters.

In an Aug. 25 submission to DOJ, the state filed draft procedures for issuing photo voter registration cards. The plan entails issuing paper voter registration cards that a voter cannot vote with unless they have the DMV photo ID. If they don’t have the required photo ID, they must go to their county voter registration office and trade in their paper registration card for a “temporary voter registration card with a photo” that is good for 30 days. Permanent photo voter registration cards with photos will be printed by the state election office and mailed to voters.

Not only is the process burdensome to voters and election workers, it is inadequately funded. In June, $1.4 million was appropriated to cover everything from buying the cameras to mailing notices to the estimated 200,000 registered SC voters with no photo ID, to educating the public and poll workers on the new law.

As confusion and costs over the ID law mount, we should remember that no one has ever been caught impersonating another voter at the polls in SC, the sort of fraud this law was designed to prevent. Rather than protecting the sanctity of the vote, as proponents claim, the new requirement does nothing but make it harder to vote in South Carolina. For some voters, the burden will be too high.

While the state digs itself deeper into a hole of its own making, the Progressive Network will continue to educate voters and expand an organized coalition of citizens to fight this and other laws compromising voting rights in South Carolina.

Network to show documentary of civil rights icon Modjeska Simkins at Jubilee Festival

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During Historic Columbia Foundation’s annual Jubilee Festival of Heritage on Saturday, Aug. 27, the SC Progressive Network will screen an hour-long SC ETV documentary about the life of Modjeska Simkins, the state’s leading civil rights activist in South Carolina until her passing in 1991. The three shows are free and open to the public.

“Making a Way Out of No Way”

Show times @ 1:30, 2:30 & 3:30

at the historic Modjeska Simkins House, 2025 Marion St. (at Elmwood)

The Network will also have a table at the Jubilee Festival, which runs from 11am-5pm outside the Mann-Simons Cottage, 1403 Richland St. Stop by and say hello.

AG opinion compounds voter photo ID confusion; does not delay implementation of SC law

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By Becci Robbins
SC Progressive Network Communications Director

Contrary to a headline published widely Aug. 16, implementation of South Carolina’s new photo ID law will not be delayed.

The Associated Press reported that a recent Attorney General’s opinion on what constitutes a “reasonable impediment” to obtaining the required photo ID meant the new law would be put on hold. The AG was responding to a request by state Election Commission Director Marci Andino, who asked for clarification on “the meaning of reasonable impediment” and whether the clause would apply to voters in this year’s municipal elections.

“We can’t spend any money on the new photo voter registration cards until, and unless, the US Department of Justice preclears the law,” Andino said. She asked the AG whether the “reasonable impediment” clause would apply to all voters if the new system was not in place.

The AG’s opinion is that the new law allows voters with a “valid reason” to vote without the photo ID, and that a failure to implement the new system would indeed be a valid reason. Such voters will be required to fill out an affidavit stating the reason, and then vote a provisional ballot.

“There is nothing in the Attorney General’s opinion that delays any aspect of the new voter ID law,” said SC Progressive Network Director Brett Bursey. The opinion states that “any valid reason, beyond the voter’s control” is a “reasonable impediment.”

The confusion portends trouble in upcoming elections.

“This law was ill-conceived, poorly written, under-funded and hastily implemented,” Bursey said. “Rather than ensuring the integrity of the vote, as proponents of the new law claim, it ensures that voting will be more difficult. The AG’s opinion substantiates our concerns.”

To obtain a state-issued photo ID requires a birth certificate in the voter’s current name, or a paper trail showing legal name changes. The new law contains a provision for county election boards to provide photo voter registration cards to those already registered, waiving the requirement of a birth certificate.

“While it is good that the state is trying to work around the requirement of a birth certificate to vote,” Bursey said, “the old system worked fine, and there is no reason to subject voters to the burdens and expense of this law.”


Delores Freelon is one of 178,000 registered SC voters without a photo ID. She’s had serious problems meeting the new requirements.

Making the 178,000 currently registered voters without a photo ID cast a provisional paper ballot will mean longer lines for voters and headaches for poll workers. Each voter will have to fill out an affidavit, and then the 46 politically appointed county boards of elections will have to examine each ballot and decide if the vote should be counted.

The SC Progressive Network has been gathering comments from voters around the state having trouble meeting the new ID requirements and submitting them to the US Department of Justice. DOJ has until Aug. 29 to decide whether the law violates the Voting Rights Act. Because of South Carolina’s history of racial discrimination, all changes to voting laws must be pre-cleared by DOJ.

For background on the photo ID law and information on commenting to DOJ, see scpronet.com or call 803-808-3384.