Letter to the Editor: City of Charleston's repressive 1A Law
Charleston, SC – On June 14, 2025, at a spontaneous march immediately following a No Kings Day rally in downtown Charleston, I was unjustly arrested and charged with disorderly conduct for chanting with a megaphone. I have pleaded not guilty and, over a year later, I have yet to receive my day in court.
At the rally before the march, I heard reports from others present that officers with the Charleston Police Department (CPD) were threatening protesters with arrest by CPD for wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) masks, citing the First Amendment Demonstration Ordinance Act, or 1A, ban on masks at protests. Yet, PPE is specifically exempt in the ordinance. It was clear many of the CPD officers didn't approve of the action, which was an anti-Trump protest.
After the rally, I joined a group of community members who wanted to continue to protest with a march down the sidewalk in response to the Trump administration's immigration crackdowns. Before we began our own march, we witnessed two horse-mounted CPD officers attempt to intimidate two individuals for holding their banners up and chanting as they left the park. The officers approached them aggressively on their horses, telling them they couldn't protest. A blatant lie in an attempt to silence dissent.
Undeterred, they joined the group I was with. We all knew we were within our rights, and not even in violation of the repressive 1A ordinance, so we asserted these rights and began our march. We chanted as we marched in solidarity with our undocumented community members and against the Trump administration's racist immigration policies. We had a megaphone, so I offered to lead chants on it as we marched out of the park.
We didn’t make it very far before we were pursued by police officers telling me to stop chanting on the megaphone. They insisted we could march and protest but not with a megaphone. Given this was an unlawful command, not even supported by the 1A ordinance, I refused to acknowledge them and kept leading chants. A few minutes later I was violently arrested by CPD and the so-called “anti-riot” deputies of the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO).
The protesters in my group were understandably enraged by the arrest. One person attempted to shield me as officers moved in to detain me. A mounted officer responded by trying to use his horse to attack the group, but lost control of the animal, nearly trampling them as it smacked into a wall on the sidewalk and went running sideways into the road. All of this was captured on video, but CPD continues to deny this happened. It should be noted, despite my arrest and the continued police stalking of the other protesters, the march continued and was a success.
I was charged with disorderly conduct, my megaphone seized as evidence, and I spent a few hours in the notorious Al Cannon Detention Center where over 20 people have died in the past ten years; at least three of the deaths have been declared homicides. Thankfully, my community supported me and bailed me out the same day.
I retained counsel, pleaded not guilty to the charges, and have been prepared for trial for over a year. Yet, the city of Charleston refuses to grant me my day in court. The first prosecutor wanted to dismiss my case, but the police wouldn't drop the charges. The second prosecutor, Kevin Hales, has offered me guilty pleas for time served on more than one occasion. We have refused every time. We are not interested in anything other than a full dismissal or our day in court. Twice we have made public calls to pack the courtroom and each time Hales has since filed for a continuation. Most recently this happened related to my August 3, 2026 court date.
Additionally, it has come to light that the city of Charleston has allegedly reached out to the presiding judge and prosecutor to push my case because they are not interested in it going to court. In my opinion, city officials know they can't defend the 1A law, and they're feeling the pressure against the ordinance, and the multiple cases brought up using the ordinance as a pretext.
I am not the only person arrested under the law. In October 2024, I, and a fellow organizer, were charged with violating the 1A ordinance in the aftermath of a pro-Palestine demonstration. The charges were dismissed a year later. In January 2025, seven, mostly Latino, community members were arrested for “disobeying a lawful order” when police ordered a spontaneous protest to disperse, again citing the 1A ordinance as grounds for the dispersal. Lastly, in February 2026, a woman was charged for wearing a keffiyeh at a protest in response to the killing of an ICE observer. Again, in this instance, CPD cited the 1a ordinance.
Local organizers have continually spoken out against this law, including a Fight for the First march and rally which was attended by hundreds on July 25, 2026. Our demands remain the same. We want a full dismissal of these bogus charges and the full repeal of this repressive unconstitutional ordinance, because protesting is not a crime!
We are calling on all people of conscience to call the Charleston Prosecutor’s Office at 843-965-4148 and ask to speak to Kevin Hales to demand the disorderly conduct charge against me be dropped immediately.
And stay tuned for a day of action to call for the full repeal of the First Amendment Demonstration Ordinance.