N. Charleston mayor sets new goals in State of City

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The City of North Charleston set new goals Thursday night in the mayor’s State of the City address.

Mayor Keith Summery recapped what the city accomplished in 2021 and looked forward to celebrating the city’s 50th anniversary in 2022.

Summey took the state of the city address to note the growth that’s brought them to the third largest city in the state.

He mentioned plans for a new community and cultural center that will last the next 50 years, a miracle league park, a new aquatic center and gym at the Danny Jones Center, and two new senior centers.

He also plans to improve the neighborhood around the naval base.

Summey also mentioned he plans to continue his commitment to improve community relations and transparency. This has long been a hot button topic for residents across North Charleston and with the North Charleston Police Department.

“The North Charleston Police Department underwent a racial bias audit this past year,” Summey said. “While there are always areas of improvement, we were pleased that the audit acknowledged that North Charleston is a large diverse city with different communities that require varying levels of police presence. I know the top priority of the men and women of our police department is to end victimization in our city.”

Summey also touched on plans for preparing for expected growth. He says they saw an increase of nearly 10% in property tax collection, which goes along with the city’s plans to give residents and businesses the best services possible with the revenue received.

Protestors outside North Charleston City Hall

A group of about 15 protestors gathered outside of North Charleston City Hall Thursday night asking for more transparency and accountability from the police department. It comes almost two weeks after North Charleston resident Junnie Williams was shot and killed during an officer involved shooting in North Charleston.

Protestors called for the city to release body camera footage of the shooting. The incident is currently still under investigation.

“Stand As One” president Justin Hunt led the group in chanting Junnie Williams’ name, calling on the city to release video, and chanting Black Lives Matter.

“I’ve heard the state of the city consistently over the years, and they paint this rosey picture of a city that’s not rosey. They paint a picture of a city where law enforcement officers have killed African Americans in the past here and officers have gotten away with it,” said community activist Pastor Thomas Dixon who was also in attendance.

One of the protestors spoke during public comment at the city council meeting. Summey declined to comment back, but said they have every right to be upset and to be speaking out.

South Carolina Law Enforcement Division spokesperson Ryan Alphin says they have no additional information to provide in the case.

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