The past year has brought multiple crises – from the continued murder of Black people by law enforcement, to the direct and collateral harms of COVID-19, to systematic efforts to restrict the fundamental right to vote, and more.
Thanks to ACLU supporters like you, we stood ready to face these crises – and we are ready for whatever comes next.
For the rest of this month, we invite you to tune in as we share some of our accomplishments from the past year. While we achieved many successes in 2020, much work remains before we can consider South Carolina a state where We the People means everyone. Thank you for being part of this work.
Read more about this work:
Campaigning for Policing Reforms in the Charleston County Sheriff’s Race
From the streets to the voting booth, people in Charleston County have demanded an end to racism, violence, and over policing by law enforcement.
This year the ACLU of South Carolina launched a campaign to inform voters about key civil liberties and civil rights issues at the center of the race for Charleston County Sheriff. During this issue-driven campaign, ACLU-SC partnered with the national ACLU to engage nearly 100,000 Charleston County voters through direct mail, paid advertising, and phone and text banks.
Charleston County voters were informed about the civil liberties and civil rights issues at stake in this election, including ending Charleston County’s 287g agreement and cooperation with ICE, banning harmful police practices, increasing oversight and accountability of police, and reallocating a portion of the Sheriff’s Department budget to community services that promote public safety.
In November, Charleston County voters elected Kristin Graziano, who committed to all of these policies. Charleston County voters chose a platform that will address head-on the disproportionate burden our system places on Black, Brown, Indigenous, and poor people by holding law enforcement accountable, ending local cooperation with ICE, and reallocating funds from the sheriff’s department budget to support community programs and services that promote safety.
While the ACLU-SC does not endorse or oppose candidates, voters have shown clear support for the ACLU-SC’s policy platform. Moving forward, the ACLU-SC will focus its efforts on guaranteeing that these policy commitments are fulfilled and Charleston's public safety system ensures the safety and well-being of all.
