Charleston used police state tactics to disappear unhoused people from city streets the day before the Sternwheel Regatta. Some of these people were arrested simply for existing in a city park after 11 p.m. but days later, Regatta goers were observed partying at Haddad Riverfront Park well after midnight and faced no legal repercussions. Those who were arrested spent five to six days in one America’s deadliest jail systems because of the long holiday weekend.
We are continuing to monitor the situation, and we have filed a number of records requests to help us get to the bottom of where these sweeps originated.
It should never be a crime to lack housing. The city should fight poverty, not poor people.