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Residents urge Charleston County to sever ties with Elbit Systems in public hearing
Summary
More than a dozen residents and activists at a Feb. 25 public comment period urged Charleston County Council to terminate its contract and tax incentives for Elbit Systems of America, citing human-rights concerns and local impacts; two council members held follow-up meetings with coalition members.
Dozens of residents and activists used the county’s public comment period on Feb. 25 to press Charleston County Council to end its relationship with Elbit Systems of America and to close or restrict Elbit’s Ladson facility.
Speakers representing the Elbit Out of South Carolina coalition and other local groups said weapons and surveillance equipment made by Elbit and its subsidiaries have been used in conflicts overseas and that continuing county support makes the community complicit in human‑rights harms. Commenters also tied the county’s tax and incentive policies to long‑term losses in school revenue and cited a College of Charleston disparities report to argue the county should prioritize local needs.
Why it matters: speakers framed the question as both moral and fiscal — urging the county to align local economic development and tax policy with human‑rights standards and to reconsider incentives that activists say have redirected revenue away from schools and community services.
Public commenters named council members who met with organizers earlier this month. Councilman Middleton and Councilman Wurman were thanked by multiple speakers for meeting with the coalition; speakers urged other council members to engage as well. The record shows the council members agreed to continue conversations with the group but no formal council action to change the county’s relationship with Elbit was taken at the meeting.
Speakers invoked international legal forums and media reporting in support of their demands. Several referenced recent actions and warrants involving the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, and others cited reporting about corporate subsidies. Activists called for termination of county agreements, withdrawal of tax incentives and for Elbit’s manufacturing of weapons to be restricted in Charleston County. Some speakers also linked the issue to local racial and economic disparities, saying public monies would be better spent on schools, housing and health care.
Council response and next steps: Council members thanked residents for attending and confirmed that two members had met with the coalition in a prior session and would continue to engage. No ordinances, resolutions, or funding changes related to Elbit were introduced or voted on at the meeting; council leaders said they would maintain dialogue with the organizers and staff.
The public comment record at the Feb. 25 session includes remarks by Martin Levison, Matt Colburn, Eli Nagib, Erica Veal, Chris Tittle, Autumn Waddell, Alfred Peeler, Matt Mossberg, Phil Lowry, Marcus McDonald and others who identified themselves as residents, students, parents and organizers.
