The Buzz: Hearing set on SC State House hate-group rallies

Lawmakers and law enforcement are upset that state officials allowed two opposing hate groups to hold rallies at the same time last weekend at the S.C. State House.

A legislative panel that oversees the State House grounds will hold a hearing Tuesday to ask why the Ku Klux Klan and New Black Panthers Party were allowed to have simultaneous rallies, resulting in scuffles and five arrests.

“We need to know why they thought it was a good idea,” said state Sen. John Courson, a Richland Republican who sits on the panel. “We invite kids to tour the State House.”

Sen. Harvey Peeler, a Cherokee Republican who heads the panel, said, “Common sense needs to prevail.”

In his 30 years as a legislator, Courson said, he had never seen a police presence as large as last Saturday at the State House. “And they still could not prevent the fights and vandalism from occurring.”

The State House Committee will ask representatives of the S.C. Department of Administration, which handles rally permits, and state Bureau of Protective Services, which oversees security on the State House grounds, to testify and answer questions at a hearing Tuesday, Courson and Peeler said. State Law Enforcement Division officials also are expected.

The rallies came a week after the Confederate flag was removed from the front lawn of the State House, a contentious decision in the state where the Civil War began.

Courson said he knows the state cannot deny rally permits because of free-speech concerns. But he wants to avoid the chaos of having rival groups hold demonstrations at the same time.

Groups wanting to hold rallies at the State House only need to submit a form with event details and contact information to a division of the Department of Administration. Reservations are first-come, first served, agency spokesman Brian Gaines said.

Peeler asked that if rules allow any group to hold demonstrations at any time. “Why do we even need to have a permit?”

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott would like the state to prevent identified hate groups from holding rallies on the Capitol grounds. Allowing KKK and Black Panther Party demonstrations on opposite sides of the State House on the same day was “asking for trouble,” he added.

“They’re hate groups whose main mission is do nothing but cause dissension, problems and fights,” said Lott, who deployed his undercover gang and special-response units during the rallies last week.

The Department of Administration has no immediate plans to change its permitting procedures, Gaines said.

State law enforcement officials are reviewing the response to last week’s rallies, said Sherri Iacobelli, spokeswoman for the S.C. Department of Public Safety. No findings have been announced.

At the state legislative hearing Tuesday, Peeler and Courson said they also want to discuss other security issues around the State House grounds in the wake of protests over the Confederate flag’s removal.

“The State House is the crown jewel of South Carolina,” Courson said. “People need to feel like they are protected when they visit.”

First gentleman has new job, seeks new assistant

The governor’s office offered no details last week on S.C. first gentleman Michael Haley’s new job after he left his post as a federal military technician a month ago.

“He looks forward to adding to South Carolina's manufacturing footprint." said Chaney Adams, press secretary for Gov. Nikki Haley.

The first gentleman also is searching for a new $38,000-a-year assistant. The job requires “a high level of confidentiality,” and its duties include helping with Governor’s Mansion events and serving as his office manager, according to a posting.

But don’t plan on submitting a resume. The job was posted for just five days, and the deadline to apply was Friday.

This story was originally published July 25, 2015 at 7:51 PM.