SC agency sets new rules, bars obscuring statues

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina is barring groups holding events at the Statehouse from obscuring statues and monuments after the NAACP erected a backdrop at a rally that blocked the view of a George Washington statue.

The new rule from the state Budget and Control Board requires rally organizers to promise they keep visibility and access open to monuments. The board described the new rules in a meeting earlier this week.

Tea party activists questioned the NAACP’s use of a tall, three-sided box to partly enclose a statue of Washington at the group’s rally in January.

State NAACP Executive Director Dwight James said Thursday the panels protected the statue and there are bigger issues for the state to think about.

State Sen. John Courson said the statues and monuments need to be visible.