Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Bias Investigation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident describes dog-walking incident as racial profiling and urges ad hoc bias review; city attorney to investigate
Summary
Dr. Colette Townsend-Chambers told Cayce council she was profiled during a dog-walking incident and asked council to create an ad hoc, diverse committee to review racial bias across the Museum Commission and city departments; City Attorney Danny Crowe outlined an investigation and said he expects to report back in January.
CAYCE, S.C. — Dr. Colette Townsend-Chambers told Cayce City Council on Dec. 7 she experienced racist treatment while walking her dog and urged the council to convene an ad hoc committee to investigate racial bias on the Museum Commission and across city departments.
Townsend-Chambers said she was told by a neighbor to “go back to my neighborhood,” an exchange she described as racist, and said subsequent interactions with an Animal Services officer left her feeling profiled. She played a 911 recording that staff said was difficult to hear and said the lack of a body camera on the officer concerned her.
"I was profiled and went from being the victim to possibly being the perpetrator even though I was the one who requested 911 be called," Townsend-Chambers said during her remarks.
She asked council to form an ad hoc, diverse committee to assist City Attorney Danny Crowe in investigating racial bias and discrimination, and recommended that applicants Marcy Hayden and Kelly Wuest serve on the committee immediately and that an attorney of color be added to the investigative team.
In response, City Attorney Danny Crowe described the scope and framework of an independent inquiry he had begun. Crowe said he planned to interview the principal actors and witnesses involved in the incident, meet with current and former Museum Commission members and staff who work with the commission, and accept input from members of the public. He told council he intended to present his conclusions at the first council meeting in January.
"I saw two broad aspects to the investigation: the incident involving the city employee and whether the incident indicates any prevalence or culture of racial discrimination or negative racial attitudes on the Museum Commission," Crowe said, outlining planned interviews and a report-back timeline.
Townsend-Chambers said she was tired of talking about racism and urged council to take action beyond words. Council did not take an immediate vote to form the ad hoc committee; Crowe's separate investigative process was presented as the next step.
Status: Investigation underway; City Attorney to report conclusions to council in January.
