Recommendations to address racial injustice in Charleston released

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The city of Charleston’s Special Commission on Equity, Inclusion, and Racial Conciliation has released it’s 545-page draft report of on ways to promote racial justice and racial equity in the Holy City.

The report includes 125 recommendations focused on criminal justice reform, economic empowerment, health disparities, environmental justice, and other topics.

The report is a culmination of a yearlong effort to rebuild the city of Charleston as an “actively anti-racist government.”

On June 9, 2020, Mayor John Tecklenburg and Charleston’s city council voted to create the special commission tasked with creating this report.

“These initial recommendations have the potential for lasting and far-reaching effect in rebuilding the City of Charleston now and for generations to come as an actively anti-racist government. However, for these recommendations to be fully realized, these efforts to address structural racism must be sustained, funded, and widely adopted across all departments within the city,” the report stated.

It will now be turned over to Charleston’s city council members for consideration.

There’s a long list of suggested changes, but some include developing and enhancing ordinances that require police accountability, establishing a database of black owned businesses and a $15 million loan fund to help minority owned businesses, and mandating mental health introductory training for all city personnel to increase awareness, reduce stigma, and reinforce de-escalation.

For a look at the full report click here.

Copyright 2021 WCSC. All rights reserved.