A decade after mass shooting, South Carolina is still without hate crime law

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – Ten years ago, nine people died in a mass shooting and hate crime at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.

Still, South Carolina is one of two states that does not have a hate crime law.

“We as citizens are the ones that need to speak up about how we believe that we shouldn’t be one of two states that don’t have this kind of law. We understand the other states that have it. It has been helpful,” said Senator Tameika Isaac Devine (D – Richland).

The Clementa C. Pinckney bill is named after a former state lawmaker. He was one of the nine victims killed in the shooting in 2015. If passed, the bill would allow for additional penalties in criminal cases where bias is proven to be a motivating factor, including race, religion, gender or sexual orientation.

“If you are solely motivated by hate and you commit a crime based on that motivation, then that you should have enhanced penalties,” Devine added.

Some lawmakers have said they think that this is should not be a bill that passes.

Senator Shane Massey (R – Edgefield) said penalties for offenses without a hate crime law would be more severe than in those other states with the laws.

“One of the most overriding concerns that I hear is that it treats people differently, and that’s a problem to put that into the law. But if there are problems with specific penalties, specific criminal penalties, then let’s fix those. This just isn’t the way to do it,” Massey added. “There were a number of us, who were disappointed that we saw that there were people trying to use that tragedy as a political tool to accomplish political goals.”

Divine said that she disagrees.

“I don’t think there’s any political motive to, responding to, something that we have seen right here in our own state, she said. “Now, I think what happens with a lot of laws are a response to what we see.”

Massey said he believes there will be more debates in the future about the hate crime bills.