By Bill Davis, senior editor | Early work is being put in on what some say may be the most important agenda ever for the S.C. Legislative Black Caucus.
In the 13 months since a lone white shooter killed nine black congregants at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, the world has not slowed down in terms of race- and terror-based killings. Despite July tragedies in Louisiana, Dallas, Minnesota and France, eyes around the state remain trained on how South Carolina continues to respond to its encounters with violence — and whether the Black Caucus will help push change.
Traditionally, the caucus has focused on three main areas: economic empowerment, improved public education and judicial reform.
In 2015, Black Caucus members helped push through a first-in-the-country bill that required law enforcement agencies to develop policies for body cameras for police officers. The measure became law in the wake of a shooting by a white officer of an unarmed black motorist fleeing on foot following a routine traffic stop.
The caucus was also instrumental in the removal of the Confederate flag from Statehouse grounds after the Emanuel AME shooting of state Sen. Clementa Pinckney and eight members of the church he pastored.
Gun reform to be at top of agenda
The 2017 agenda, which will be formalized in the fall after the general election, will likely include a call for “sensible” gun reform, according to several of the members of the 38-member caucus comprised of 10 senators and 28 House members
State Sen. Marlon Kimpson (D-Charleston) has provided much of the push for comprehensive gun reform. But that may have indirectly cost one former legislator his seat.
Observers say that former S.C. Senate Judiciary Chairman Larry Martin (R-Pickens) courted danger from the “open-carry” crowd back at home when he allowed one of Kimpson’s gun reform bills to be dealt with in subcommittee. Outside money combined with constituent concern over gun rights being abridged is said to have played a role in the three-decade veteran losing his seat in a primary runoff, according to observers.
Wages, mental health, training also on the agenda
Kimpson said he will once again push for a statewide $15-hour minimum wage. “My bill for that lost by one vote in subcommittee, last year,” he said.
State Rep. John King (D-Rock Hill), the chairman-elect of the caucus, said he supported the inclusion of gun reform on the agenda, but wanted to see bolstering state mental health care ahead of it.
King, who has just returned from a nationwide emerging state leaders conference in Virginia, said white and black leaders need to have an open discussion regarding matters of race in South Carolina before the state can more effectively move forward.
“It might hurt, but we have got to talk about it, the good and the bad,” said King.
State Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter (D-Orangeburg) said the path to reducing the number of black citizens shot by police officers may not be through gun reform, but through reviewing the training and psychological screening of prospective officers. And the training, she said, “has to be ongoing.”
State Sen. Gerald Malloy (D-Hartsville), the primary author of the successful body camera bill, called Cobb-Hunter the “smartest member of the House.”
But Malloy said the caucus needs to be more cohesive going forward — and more focused on proffering good bills, while being ready to compromise with other groups within the legislature.
Malloy downplayed his own caucus’ power in passing the body camera bill last year, saying that if Republicans, including state Sen. Greg Hembree of Myrtle Beach and Rep. Tommy Pope of York, hadn’t “put their arms around the bill,” it never would have passed.
“That bill has lots of fathers,” said Malloy, adding it was tough as a “super minority” to direct legislation within the General Assembly.
The need for broad-based policy initiatives, unity
College of Charleston political science professor Gibbs Knotts said a broad-based, racially-inclusive method of crafting legislation was the best way to produce good policy and laws for the entire state, regardless of demographics.
“This is not in the abstract,” said Knotts. “They are obviously disadvantaged: they are a minority within the minority party. And for them to be effective, they have to work with the party in charge.”
Knotts said the most likely group to team with on the other side of the aisle would be “pro-business and Chamber of Commerce Republicans.” Reading between the lines, Knotts is pointing out that tea party-aligned Republicans aren’t known for their compromising skills.
Jennifer Pinckney, the senator’s widow, urged unity Thursday night at a nationally-televised town hall on race and politics with President Barack Obama.
“There’s so much that’s going on out there, a lot of mass shootings, individual shootings,” she said. “Everyone’s not gonna look like you and act like you and so forth. We’ve got to come together. We cannot be separated like that. … You’ve got to start somewhere and we really need to work harder at it to bring about the peace. Are some people ready for it? No. Some people are not.”
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