NAACP asks a judge to step in and stop Myrtle Beach from continued use of bike week plan
Despite a jury ultimately ruling in Myrtle Beach’s favor over the Memorial Day bike week police procedures, the NAACP asked a judge to bar the city from using the plan it has for the last five years.
The NAACP’s request in federal court is the latest in the years-long dispute between Myrtle Beach and the NAACP over police actions during the week known as “black bike week.”
Those procedures included using a 23-mile traffic loop, a significant police presence downtown, turning Ocean Boulevard into a one-way street and placing barricades along the sidewalks.
NAACP attorneys argued Myrtle Beach officials targeted black visitors by only using the procedures during Memorial Day weekend and not during other busy weekends.
The city argued the measures were for public safety and developed after a series of shootings during the 2014 weekend.
After a week-long trial in December, a federal jury found that race was a motivating factor in the city’s creation of the plan. But, the jury also found the city would have reached the same decision even if race didn’t play a factor. That second part of the verdict absolved the city from paying any money in the lawsuit.
After the trial, a juror told a city attorney that the panel felt the city had no choice in its plan after the 2014 violence.
Last week, the NAACP filed a request in federal court and asked a judge to change the judgment and issue an order to prevent the city from using the current plan during future bike week events.
The city has used the same, unaltered plan since 2015 and the past decision continues to shape the bike week plan, the NAACP argues.
“There is no evidence that the effects of race-based decisions will be eliminated in future years,” the NAACP argued.
If the city continues to use the same procedures, the NAACP argues that visitors will continue to face a plan that violates civil rights protections.
Instead, the NAACP proposes a three-part planning process for future bike week events. The first is for police to use data—such as traffic demand and emergency response times—to determine public safety needs. Using data instead of subjective perceptions will help prevent bias, the national organization contends.
The second part is to have a panel of experts, chose by the city in consultation with the NAACP, to assess the public safety needs during Memorial Day and other busy weekends.
The third part is to create a community advisory board of Memorial Day bike weekend stakeholders.
“A dedicated forum to include Black Bike Week stakeholders in the City’s decision making process would bring to the table not only affected jurisdictions but also affected participants,” the NAACP suggests.
