Activists urge Charleston County Council to order independent racial-bias audit of sheriff's office
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Summary
A representative of Charleston Black Lives Matter urged the council to commission an independent racial-bias audit of the Charleston County Sheriff's Office, citing alleged profiling and deportations affecting Latino, Caribbean and African neighbors and asking the county to do more than other local agencies have done.
Martin McDonald, speaking for Charleston Black Lives Matter, told council members he has observed disparities in policing and asked the council to require an independent racial-bias audit of the Charleston County Sheriff's Office.
McDonald said residents have been arrested, deported or killed, and he urged the county to respond with a comprehensive audit that extends beyond approaches other local police departments have taken. He named specific communities, referenced encounters over the past three years and called for the county to "pass and move forward with the independent racial bias audit of Charleston County Sheriff Department." Council did not take action on the request during the meeting.
The speaker framed the audit as a public-safety and equity measure that would better serve Gullah Geechee settlement communities and other Black and Latino residents; no legal or budgetary commitment to an audit was recorded in this session.
