South Carolina General Assembly
123rd Session, 2019-2020

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Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

H. 5517

STATUS INFORMATION

House Resolution
Sponsors: Reps. Cobb-Hunter, Brawley, Henegan and King
Document Path: l:\council\bills\rt\17764cz20.docx

Introduced in the House on June 24, 2020
Adopted by the House on June 24, 2020

Summary: Ahmaud Arbery

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
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   6/24/2020  House   Introduced and adopted (House Journal-page 18)

View the latest legislative information at the website

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

6/24/2020

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A HOUSE RESOLUTION

TO EXPRESS THE PROFOUND SORROW OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ON THE PASSING OF AHMAUD ARBERY, TO EXTEND THEIR DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HIS FAMILY, AND TO COMMIT THEIR ATTENTION TO ADDRESSING SYSTEMIC RACISM AND ITS IMPACT ON COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives were shocked and saddened to learn of the death of Ahmaud Arbery on February 23, 2020, after being shot three times by two armed white men while he was jogging; and

Whereas, during his run, Arbery was chased by two armed civilians who, despite not having any authority to do so, attempted to detain Arbery using their vehicles and firearms. Despite video evidence of the unauthorized pursuit and threats from the two men, they were not arrested until seventy-four days later; and

Whereas, the delay in prosecuting the case raised questions concerning racial profiling and citizen's arrest laws with many challenging the idea that an untrained civilian may pursue and attempt to apprehend someone while brandishing a firearm; and

Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives refuses to tolerate systemic racism in any form. Actions that create the fear of the loss of life while participating in something as simple as exercising in public is absolutely condemned by the members of this body. The threat to the well-being and freedoms of Black South Carolinians and Americans is something that the House of Representatives wishes to address; and

Whereas, Dr. David Williams of Yale University has researched systemic racism and its impact of the health of Black Americans and documented that a connection does exist; and

Whereas, the negative impacts of systemic racism on Black South Carolinians can be seen in the disproportionately higher rates of homelessness, incarceration, and economic hardships as over 26% of Black South Carolinians live below the poverty line; and

Whereas, people of color are impacted more greatly by challenges and inequities in many areas including, but not limited to, economic justice, crime, social capital, education, transportation, employment, food access, health behaviors, socioeconomic status, environmental exposure, access to health services, housing, and public safety; and

Whereas, systemic racism also leads to inequities in our criminal justice system and our healthcare delivery system, and South Carolina must commit to fight these inequities in order to improve the quality of life and health of our minority residents; and

Whereas, the actions leading to the death of Ahmaud Arbery should shock all South Carolinians and call all of us to action to dismantle and reform the institutions that unfairly punish some simply because of the color of their skin; and

Whereas, the House of Representatives sits in the unique position of being able to fight systemic racism through laws and encourages others to combat racism through edification, self-examination, and inclusivity. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, express their profound sorrow upon the passing of Ahmaud Arbery, extend their deepest sympathy to his family, and commit their attention to addressing systemic racism and its impact on communities of color.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Ahmaud Arbery.

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This web page was last updated on June 29, 2020 at 1:39 PM