Lake City leaders OK hate crime ordinance

LAKE CITY, S.C. (WBTW) — Lake City passed a hate crime ordinance during Tuesday’s city council meeting, joining Florence as Pee Dee cities to adopt one.

The ordinance unanimously passed second reading, the city said. The new ordinance would charge an individual with a separate offense if there is “intent to intimidate another person or persons because of perceived race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical/mental disabilities, or national origin of the other person or persons.”

With the charge, individuals can face up to a $500 fine or up to 30 days in prison.

“I’m happy to see this new ordinance passed,” Mayor Yamekia Robinson said in a news release. “South Carolina is one of the two states that has not passed a hate crime law. The local municipalities of South Carolina passing a hate crime ordinance will help the SC Senate members realize that it’s imperative we pass this law in our state.”

The cities of Conway and Florence both passed hate crime ordinances in March.

“We want everyone to know that hate is not tolerated in Lake City,” Robinson said. “We welcome everyone to Lake City and hope they make our great city home. By taking this critical step to pass this hate crime ordinance, we want to ensure that everyone in our city should feel safe and protected against any hate crime.”

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Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here .

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