Monica Williams, who lives with her husband, Shawn, in Conway, told WMBF-TV their neighbors “have made the last two years a living nightmare” for them.
A white couple allegedly set fire to a cross “in full view” of their Black neighbors’
Butler allegedly posted the couple’s address on Facebook before the cross-burning incident, claiming he was “summoning the devil’s army, and I don’t care if they and I both go down in the same boat. I’m about to make them pay.”
According to records, Harnett and Butler were booked into Horry County Sheriff’s Office Jail on Nov. 30. Conway Magistrate Court files show the two each paid $500 bonds and were released on Dec. 1.
The NAACP said it planned to initiate an investigation into the prejudice-motivated hate crime.
“Certainly, this has opened old wounds for those who have lived through the Jim Crow era,” said NAACP task group member Cedric Blain-Spain.
South Carolina is one of just two states without municipal laws criminalizing hate crimes. In the Palmetto State, a hate crime measure has passed the House and reached the Senate floor during the last three years, but has yet to be enacted.
“As a city we are appalled and disturbed by the details that have been reported,” said city of Conway spokesperson June Wood, USA Today reported. “The safety of our community remains a priority and hate towards anyone will not be tolerated in Conway. We stand in support of the victims in this incident and our partners at Horry County Police Department as they pursue justice.”
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