‘We were speechless’: S.C. cross-burning brings call for change
CONWAY, SC (WMBF) - Shawn and Monica Williams, like many others, retired here in the Grand Strand, but a scary encounter has them questioning if it’s safe to stay.
The Black couple said they walked outside to a burning cross facing their home over Thanksgiving weekend.
“There was a cross burning about eight feet from our fence,” Monica said. “We were speechless because we’ve never experienced something like that.”
The couple moved to Conway, settling into the perfect retirement home, but said their neighbors have made the last two years a living nightmare.
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“He’s blatant with the ‘N-word,’” Monica said. “He chased off our surveyors. He’s chased off people from the water and sewer department.”
The couple even installed a fence, hoping to find peace, but it didn’t work. The cross burning was the final straw, so they called Horry County police.
Officers arrested their neighbors, 28-year-old Worden Butler and 27-year-old Alexis Harnett, and charged them with second-degree harassment.
Hartnett yelled racial slurs at the couple, which was caught on officers’ body cameras, according to police reports.
The report also shows Butler posted the couple’s address on Facebook, saying he was “going to make them pay.”
Butler is no stranger to the law, with at least five arrests for assault and disorderly conduct.
The Williamses say police arresting the two is not enough.
“They were out the next day,” Monica said. “So now, what are we to do? Live next to a cross-burning racist who’s threatened to cause us bodily harm. We feel that not enough laws are in place to deal with this, and there needs to be some ability.”
South Carolina is only one of two states without a hate crime law.
A few cities in South Carolina have ed hate crime ordinances or resolutions. However, Conway is not one of them.
The city’s mayor, Barbara Blaine Bellamy, said there’s nothing the city can do, and it’s up to the state.
WMBF News tried calling a number listed for Butler for comment, but he did not answer.
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