The Town of Irmo has unanimously passed a hate intimidation ordinance, making hate crimes illegal within town limits. 

“Events in recent weeks prove that we need to show that Irmo won’t remotely tolerate acting out against someone because you don’t believe in what they believe,” Councilwoman Phyllis Coleman said at the meeting. 

The ordinance was first brought up for discussion in July. At the time, Coleman said that some areas of Irmo fall under Richland County, which was the first in the state to adopt a countywide hate crime ordinance. 

Last month, Orangeburg County became the second in the state to pass a similar ordinance. 

Coleman said it's important that a section is added so all residents in the town are protected. 

 The new ordinance reads:

 “A person who violates another section of this chapter with the intent to intimidate another person, in whole or in part, because of the actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, physical or mental disability, or national origin of the other person or persons, including any act of antisemitism is also guilty of the separate offense of hate intimidation.

“In addition, no person shall disseminate hate materials on any public property or on any commercial property or on any residential property without the express permission of the owner of the residential property within the incorporated area of the Town of Irmo. For purposes of this section, hate materials refers to writings intended to intimidate another person or persons on a basis as described in subsection of this section.

“A person who violates this section shall be punished as provided in Section 1-8 of the Town Code. The sentences for the separate offenses shall run consecutive to one another unless the court specifies on the record the reason why they should run concurrently.”

During a prior workshop, Town Manager Jim Crosland informed council members that the maximum penalty under the ordinance would be a $1,000 fine and a 30-day jail sentence. 

South Carolina is one of only two states in the U.S. that has not passed hate crime legislation. 

“I want Irmo to be a great place to live, and I don’t want anybody to worry about going outside or walking through a neighborhood,” Coleman said. 

Council members will meet Tuesday, Oct. 7, at 6 p.m. for a town council workshop at the Irmo Municipal Building, located at 7300 Woodrow St. in Irmo. 

The next regular council meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m., at the same location.