Cops outnumber protesters during rally at South Carolina State House
With dozens of police officers keeping watch, about 25 people gathered Sunday at the South Carolina State House for a peaceful rally that covered topics ranging from military veteran suicides to the banning of conservative commentators on social media.
Some protesters wore apparel supporting President Donald Trump while others waved the U.S. flag. By about 3:30 p.m. all of the protesters had left the State House grounds.
The event was called peaceful by Sherri Iacobelli, spokesperson for the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
Speakers from the group of protesters touched on topics that included urging people to vote to effect change and calling for unity among Americans. Some criticized the social media outlets Facebook and Twitter for closing the accounts of some conservative commentators.
One U.S. Army veteran spoke about the horrific rate of suicides among veterans, and he urged the crowd to show support for those members of the U.S. military.
Local law enforcement agencies had beefed up security at the State House after the FBI warned of the potential for armed protests at the nation’s Capitol and all 50 state capitol buildings beginning this weekend.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said between 50-100 deputies were getting equipped with riot gear at one of several law enforcement staging areas located within a mile or two of the State House.
Law enforcement has requested that those locations be kept confidential because of security concerns. In addition to the sheriff’s department, Columbia police, the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and University of South Carolina Department of Public Safety are on patrol.
Before Sunday’s rally started, one person was arrested on a weapons charge near the State House, according to USC spokesperson Jeff Stensland.
A USC police officer made a traffic stop for a minor traffic violation at the intersection of Assembly and Washington streets, Stensland said. During the stop a passenger in the vehicle was found to be unlawfully in possession of a handgun and arrested, according to Stensland.
Further information was not made available because the case is still active and remains under investigation.
There was no word if the person who was taken into custody was planning to attend the rally, or if the incident was completely unrelated to the protest.
The traffic stop and arrest were made early in the morning, Stensland said. The rally did not start until noon, according to the Department of Administration.
“There’s a lot of cops out,” said Columbia Police Department Deputy Chief Melron Kelly, who added the police made no arrests in connection to events at the State House. Kelly said he hopes to provide further information later Sunday.
Kelly dispelled rumors on social media that police are warning of an impending incident.
“In the event that there is a threat to public safety we will immediately notify the public on digital media platforms,” Kelly said on Twitter.
Sunday’s event — juxtaposing the small band of rally-goers with so many police — was a coincidence.
Organizers had gotten a permit from the South Carolina Department of Administration for the rally back in November as a “ freedom of speech” event to prevent censorship on social media, said organizer Sean Laurie, 40, of Florence.
“We want peace — unity,” the U.S. Army veteran said. “We just wanted to get our voice heard.”
When he saw all the police Sunday, Laurie said he asked himself, “What is this?”
Most, if not all of the group, were Trump supporters, Laurie said.
Among those Trump supporters was Brian Franklin, a veteran from Missouri.
Franklin, 50, drove nearly 1,000 miles from his home in Kansas City to be in Columbia, as a sign of solidarity for the president. Others came to town from Texas, Oklahoma, North Carolina and Nebraska to attend the gathering in Columbia, he said.
Even though Biden won the election and there is no credible evidence of widespread voter fraud as Trump has falsely claimed, Franklin said he believes Trump.
Asked if he thought Trump won the election, he said “I do.”
“I watched it real close. A lot of the map was for Trump, and we go to bed, and ... a lot of things changed overnight. When we woke up, ‘Oh my God.’ I don’t think it was fair.’’
Franklin, sporting a Kansas City Chiefs ball cap, said he didn’t support storming the Capitol Jan. 6 because protests should be peaceful. He said people need to work together, but he also said Trump supporters are frustrated.
Columbia resident Dustin Phillips, who said he went to Washington, D.C., when Trump spoke Jan. 6, said he was not on the State House grounds Sunday to cause trouble, only to peacefully show his support for Trump.
He’s upset that Trump lost the election and, like Franklin, doesn’t believe the results. Former Vice President Joe Biden won the election overwhelmingly.
Phillips, 51, said if proof can be found that the election was rigged, those involved could be guilty of treason. Phillips said he’s a disabled veteran who is frustrated.
“I’m saying the people who can be proven to have manipulated or rigged the election, are going to be held accountable for their actions,’’ Phillips said, noting that “if it’s as grievous as treason, I believe the penalty should be death.’’
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This story was originally published January 17, 2021 at 1:37 PM with the headline "Cops outnumber protesters during rally at South Carolina State House."
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to report that the arrest near the South Carolina State House on a weapons charge came from law enforcement officials involved with security, it did not come from Columbia Police Department Deputy Chief Melron Kelly. A traffic stop was confirmed by Kelly, but information on the arrest came from other sources.
