Burning of African American Churches in South Carolina and Perceptions of Race Relations: Transcript of a Community Forum Held by the South Carolina Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights in Columbia, South Carolina on July 16, 1996

• NCJ Number: 165544
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 81 pages
• Corporate Author: US Cmssn on Civil Rights
• Sale Source: US Cmssn on Civil Rights
• Publication Type: Conference Material
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A community forum held in Columbia, S.C. in July 1996 examined arson against black churches in South Carolina; discussed perceptions of race relations; and assessed the investigative procedures of Federal, State, and local law enforcement officials.

Abstract

The initial speakers focused on the roles of the United States Commission on Civil Rights and the South Carolina Advisory Committee to the Commission. They noted that South Carolina has experienced 28 church arsons since 1991 and that 60 percent of these cases have been solved. Topics subsequently discussed included the role and efforts of the United States attorneys, the investigative procedures, coordination and cooperation among law enforcement personnel at different levels of government, and support for the rebuilding of the churches. Other topics included State initiatives related to the fires, efforts to improve communication between law enforcement officials and the clergy, insurance coverage of the churches, the characteristics of perpetrators, and efforts to improve race relations.