‘Ku Klux Klan’ remark causes stir at Darlington City Council meeting

DARLINGTON, S.C. (WBTW) — A Darlington City Councilwoman who’s been involved in racially-charged incidents in the past is now being criticized for a comment she made about the KKK during a council meeting.

The comment occurred near the end of a nearly two-and-a-half-hour session, just as members of the city’s beautification board were presenting a project proposal.

Anna Dewitt, a volunteer for the beautification board said their excitement turned into shock as councilwoman Sheila Baccus uttered the words “Oh Lord, the Ku Klux Klan.”

“We were just shocked at those words being said at a city council meeting,” Dewitt said. “You know, it’s just not words that we should be using in 2024, and especially not by an elected official at a public meeting.”

The beautification board, which had been working on the project for four months, was seeking approval for holiday-themed and city logo banners to be displayed on smaller lamp posts around Darlington’s town square.

“We just thought that would be so nice for our town, and those ladies put in a lot of effort, and I really do hate that those words ruined all the effort that they’ve put into this,” Dewitt said. “But you know, those ladies are great, and they’re going to push forward and I’m proud of them. And I’m proud to be a part of the beautification board.”

Tensions escalated, and a fellow council member asked mayor Curtis Boyd if Baccus could be removed from the meeting. Baccus defended herself, claiming she didn’t call anyone a name.

Boyd abruptly adjourned the meeting, and he, along with two other council members, left the room.

“We didn’t know if the meeting could proceed, since the mayor and the mayor pro tem were not there,” Dewitt said. “But after everyone exited, we went ahead with our presentation, and the rest of the meeting was very civil.”

The council ultimately approved the project.

One official said that they couldn’t sit by while community members were being attacked. Baccus then accused one of the members of the beautification board of attacking her on social media for years.

However, in an email statement to News13, Baccus claims when the comment was made, she was talking to another council member and not addressing the people at the podium.

“At the time that this occurred, I was talking to another council member. I was referring to the MANNER in which another council member and the mayor had just attacked me, because I felt like I was under a Ku Klux Klan attack. It just happened that the 3 individuals were approaching the podium at the same time I was speaking to the council member. My comment was not about them at all, as the video of the council meeting will show. This video will also show I was attacked by the mayor and one of the council members. I was not and did not refer to anyone as a member of the Ku Klux Klan, I was referring to the MANNER in the way I felt I was being disrespected and treated/attacked by the mayor and one of the council members.”

Prior to Baccus’ comment, Boyd said there was a heated discussion between council members over the absence of the head of the water department.

“Our understanding, which he had not told us, is that he had been constantly targeted and harassed when he comes to council, and so the past two city managers, the city manager and the past interim city manager had told him, just my understanding, that it was best if he just let someone else come so there would not be a confrontation,” Boyd said. “And that just kind of started her off in left field.”

“The meeting had been a little hostile, with a lot of yelling, but that happens a lot in our city meetings,” Dewitt said. “So, when mayor Boyd read the agenda item and called us up, nobody was talking, nobody was arguing. There was no conversations going on and when we got up front and began speaking then the words were said, ‘oh, Lord, the Ku Klux Klan,’ were said and we were just shocked.”

This incident is not the first time Baccus has faced controversy. She was previously investigated by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division after allegedly striking a former city manager, and she was also involved in a civil rights lawsuit. .

Also, in a 2020 incident, Baccus allegedly told a white police officer to “Take your white self back to the white neighborhood . You’re probably the kind that would shoot us in the back.”

Baccus is up for re-election in 2025.

“We just want to work together,” Boyd said. “Everyone has different opinions, but we ask for professionalism. The comments made do not represent the city of Darlington or the city council.”

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