A Saturday morning rally called by the family of Walter Scott, who was shot to death by police in North Charleston five years ago, was another day in a week of demonstrations in a city protesters say has yet to heal from the incident.

The protest against police brutality began with a short march across the railroad tracks on Mall Drive and ended at North Charleston City Hall, where a group of roughly 100 protesters gathered for hours in 85-degree heat. They heard speeches from local leaders and chanted the messages "black lives matter" and "no justice, no peace."

Anthony Scott, the older brother of Walter Scott, was one family member in attendance. 

“That’s a lynching,” he said of what happened to George Floyd, who died while in police custody in Minneapolis on Memorial Day as an officer kneeled on his neck. Scott said it was the same fate his late brother met in North Charleston when then-officer Michael Slager shot him as he ran away from a struggle.

Slager pleaded guilty to violating Scott's civil rights, and is now in prison. A law requiring all South Carolina police to wear body cameras soon followed, but a recent review by The Post and Courier found it has lacked adequate funding. 

When asked if the week's energy across the nation felt different this year than the protests that followed his brother's shooting, Anthony Scott said the energy never went away. He hopes more policies will be enacted soon to protect black lives and that events like Saturday's will help end the myth that racism no longer exists in America.

Events like these are not just about his brother, Scott said.

"What about the ones who don't have someone to take a video?" he said.

Reggie Burgess.jpg
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North Charleston Police Chief Reggie Burgess talks with Rodney Scott, younger brother of Walter Scott, during a "Say Their Names" rally in North Charleston on Saturday, June 6, 2020. Lauren Petracca/Staff

Reggie Burgess, North Charleston's police chief, attended both the march and the rally. He said he doesn’t condone the actions of officers in Floyd's death.  

“Being here is natural for me," he said. “This is a part of being about the community business.”

A troupe of seven drummers with RBM School of the Arts played and sang traditional songs to kick off the rally in front of City Hall. Pastor Thomas Dixon, a community activist who ran for mayor last year against longtime incumbent Keith Summey, said the drumming "invokes the spirit of the ancestors."

Dixon, who said he organized the rally at the Scott family's request, said for a moment after his death in 2015, “there was unity.” But life went back to business as usual soon after.

“Now here we are again.”

He then read the names of black people who had been killed in incidents of racial violence, along with a short description of what happened to each.

“We can’t play cops and robbers,” Dixon said. “Tamir Rice.” And the crowd repeated the 12-year-old’s name. 

Groups met at 10:30 a.m. on Mall Drive for the march to city hall. All wore masks. Following the rally, the crowd dispersed around 1 p.m.

Photos: Protests continue for second weekend in Charleston and Columbia

Protests continue into a second week on Saturday, June 6, 2020 in reaction to the death of Minnesota man George Floyd while in police custody.

Gus Robinson, a city resident, said he was heartened to see the solidarity expressed by Burgess' presence. But he wondered where the rest of the police force was; just a handful of officers were present at the event.

Protesters should keep up the demonstrations, he said, in order to put pressure on officials.

“I would like to see transparency,” he said “We don’t want no slap on the wrist.”

In the years since Scott's death, activists have pushed North Charleston to allow an independent racial bias audit of its police department. Leadership has so far declined to do so.

Feidin Santana, who filmed the police shooting of Scott, also spoke. He said after witnessing the death of Scott, he couldn’t be silent.

“Because silence is violence. Silence is complicity,” he said. “We are here to stop police brutality, we’re here to protect our future generation.”

Matthew Neal, a statistics teacher at Fort Dorchester High School, said he has incorporated facts about racial inequities into his lessons. Still, he said he could be doing more.

“I wanted to show I care about my students, and their lives matter to me,” he said. “It breaks my heart that we even have to debate that.”

Danielle Richardson, a Charleston resident, came with her 11-year-old son, Damario Hopkins. She said he has participated in rallies and marches since he was a toddler. She hopes he sees “that people of all races and nationalities can come together.”

“Racism is a taught thing," she said. “We just have to love each other.” She also hopes the energy from protests continue to the poll. 

The tri-county protests against Floyd's death in police custody as a symbol for an enduring problem of police brutality across the country began May 30 in Charleston. A large, peaceful demonstration that began in the afternoon downtown later led to damage and vandalism on portions of King Street.

Today's protest follows several this week in North Charleston.

On Thursday, nearly 100 people gathered in the city's Park Circle neighborhood in another march and continued down East Montague Avenue.

The North Charleston Police Department escorted protesters throughout their route, only interrupting to ask that the group stay on the sidewalk. Attendees were met with residents honking their horns in support and local business owners screaming "black lives matter" from their front entrances.

That rally was in stark contrast to one on Monday where seven people were arrested after around 200 protesters marched. The demonstration started peacefully but ended in a tense standoff between law enforcement and protesters.

The group began the protest at North Charleston City Hall, then walked about a mile on East Montague Avenue before spreading out near the overpass to Interstate 26 and locking arms.

North Charleston marchers
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Demonstrators march down Mall Drive to North Charleston City Hall during a "Say Their Names" rally on Saturday, June 6, 2020 . Lauren Petracca/Staff

A small group of protesters marched on Wednesday from Tanger Outlets to North Charleston City Hall. The 2-mile trek was organized to bring awareness to criminal justice issues and to demand a conversation with elected officials.

After Saturday's protest, Santana told The Post and Courier that the rallies are important.

“It’s a need especially now in society to talk about the good things that we can achieve if we come together.”

It’s hard to come out and confront the problems that we're facing, he said, but we have to to effect change.

Reach Mary Katherine Wildeman at 843-607-4312. Follow her on Twitter @mkwildeman.

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Jerrel Floyd is an Alabama raised reporter who covers Summerville and Dorchester County for The Post and Courier.

Mary Katherine, who also goes by MK, covers health care for The Post and Courier. She is also pursuing a master's degree in data science. She grew up in upstate New York and enjoys playing cards, kayaking and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

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