Richland Co. Sheriff Criticizes State House Officials for Rally Scheduling

Richland Co., S.C. (WOLO)–Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott is criticizing state house officials for allowing the rallies that took place this weekend. In an interview with ABC Columbia News, the sheriff says he wants to know what the thought process was in scheduling two opposing hate groups on the same day in the same location. Sheriff Lott says the decision put lives in danger. The Department of Administration is the agency to which groups apply to to demonstrate on state house grounds. In response to Lott’s criticism a spokesperson for the agency replied; “The State House Grounds are a public forum for purposes of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The United States Supreme Court has concluded that in a traditional public forum, such as the State House Grounds, the government may not restrict the First Amendment right to free speech because of content or subject matter and must provide ample channels for those exercising their First Amendment right to free speech. The Department of Administration does not issue permits for use of the State House Grounds. The Department receives reservation requests and schedules spacing on a first-come, first-served basis. All reservation requests are coordinated with the Bureau of Protective Services. The Bureau of Protective Services addresses any public safety concerns with the requestor. The Department consulted with the Bureau of Protective Services regarding the July 18th events. An individual or group may gather on the State House Grounds without submitting a reservation request or prior notification to the Department. However, all persons and/or groups that access the State House Grounds must abide by all applicable state laws. If any laws are broken, then such violations are addressed by the Bureau of Protective Services.”