Protest behavior better, curfew ends, for now

Walhalla leaders heeded the advice this evening of their police chief and decided that, for now, there’s no need to extend a curfew that was imposed last night.  The mayor and council will hold an ordinance that would permit a curfew if an emergency were to arrive.  At their meeting it appeared the mayor and council were moving toward extending the curfew thru next Monday covering the location and immediate area of the Civil War memorial.  But, in answer to a question from Mayor Edwards, Chief Brinson said the protesters who returned to the city today were peaceful and the police were not required to make arrests, as they did in multiple numbers last night.  According to Brinson, the group was peaceful and said a prayer in the middle of the street.  While the mayor and council tonight took public comment on what, if anything, should be done about the memorial, a long line of protesters marched to the Community Depot meeting building, but did not enter.  The city limited entry to the meeting to no more than 45 people and seats were spaced to try to comply with social distancing guidelines.  Fire fighters took the temperatures of everyone entering the building.  In the public comment session, six people spoke–four of whom called for the memorial to be moved to a less conspicuous location, such as the grounds of the Community Depot.  They expressed the view such a memorial along a main entryway into the downtown hurts chances for racial harmony.  There were two speakers who took the position that the memorial should stay where it is.  One of them, Luther Lyle, said, by state law, no South Carolina monument may be moved without two-thirds voting approval of both chambers of the state legislature.