Hope for the South: South Carolina Town Council Pushes Back After Openly Gay Police Chief Fired

[warrior1]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/gideonresnick/south-carolina-town-council-pushes-back-after-openly-gay-pol

The Latta Town Council in South Carolina unanimously voted to block mayor Earl Bullard from appointing a new police chief last night after he fired the town’s first openly gay police chief last Tuesday.

The town council of the small South Carolina town whose openly lesbian police chief was fired last week has turned against the mayor who fired her.

Council members in Latta, S.C., approved Tuesday night an “emergency ordinance” to temporarily block the mayor from hiring anyone to replace the recently fired Crystal Moore.

Moore, a 23-veteran of the police force in Latta, S.C., was removed from her position, sparking protests and support for her from residents. After she was fired, audio emerged of the town’s mayor, Earl Bullard, making a series of anti-gay comments, further stirring speculation she was fired for her sexual orientation.

In the clip, Bullard told another councilmember that he “doesn’t agree with some lifestyles.”


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[CherokeeDem]

1. I'm from Aiken, SC originally....

now I haven't lived there for a long time but I can assure you, despite the idiocy of the governor, the senators and various other nutcases in South Carolina there are many rational people who do not ascribe to the behavior of this mayor. I'm proud of the good people of Latta, who are fighting for their sheriff.

[watrwefitinfor]

2. That is SO understating the support for Chrystal Moore.

No link for this post - just my observations after watching local tv news:

Looked like the whole town turned out for the meeting. Afterward everyone gathered around Chief Moore voicing their support, hugging her, and getting interviewed by the local tv news crew. Old women, young men, black and white, all gathered around Chrystal waiting for their hugs, patting her on the back, expressing their support. One woman said Chrystal had been a blessing for the town. They were crying and hugging and being outraged all at the same time.

For those who are wondering, Chrystal appears to be caucasian, perhaps Indian. Her supporters were a good mix of all colors. Also the entire town council who voted unanimously to block the mayor appointing a new chief is of mixed color. Yes, you should be cheering this town. (Maybe too soon to cheer the whole south, but I'm reading a few good things lately.)

Best I can understand it (I'm not a resident of Latta) this special meeting was called BY the council because they, too, are outraged, but they can't fire the mayor as the law is now written. So at the meeting they voiced their support for Chrystal, and set things in motion to hold a referendum on a new law that will enable the council to fire the mayor, hire an administrator instead, and then re-appoint Chrystal to her position as chief of police.

There seem to be some legal and financial hurdles, but this is one determined town. And they quite clearly love and support their police chief. Her officers were there in uniform, too, hugging her too. Some of the people were noticably not wealthy. Others looked better off. All were there supporting Chrystal.

You might also like to know that Latta is in Dillon County. It was from the town of Dillon that the young black student wrote to Obama about the deplorable condition of her school, which led to her appearance at one of his speeches - his first State of the Union speech I think.

This in a small section of South Carolina that has voted Democratic for a very long time, in local, state, and national elections. The counties in the area have the highest unemployment rates in the state. All industry is g.o.n.e. We now have Republican national representatives for the first time probably in over 100 years, due to gerrymandering following the 2010 election (some in past years as well), and Citizens United. Some of our state reps are Democrats, but not sure how long that can last under the rule of the Roberts Court.

No link - just my observations after watching local tv news.

Wat