Protesting in Myrtle Beach will not require a permit

Myrtle Beach’s final protest rules will not require permits in case of a spontaneous event or demonstration.

Demonstrators must give notice to the police department 48 hours before an event that is expected to draw 25 people or more, down from the previous standard of 30 people. City Manager John Pedersen said that protestors also can apply for a permit, which would be approved by a city committee. City Council reserves the right to overturn that decision, Pedersen said.

Those who apply for a permit may be charged for public services such as police protection.

[After Charlottesville, Myrtle Beach looking at big changes to protest laws]

Five members of city council approved the measure. Council members Mike Lowder and Mary Jeffcoat were absent.

The rule, which restricts what items can be brought to a protest, was inspired by events such as the Aug. 12 demonstration held by white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia. At that event, a car plowed through a group of counter-protestors, killing one.

The Myrtle Beach ordinance bans some items from all parades or protests, whether or not they have a permit:

• Firearms
• Ammunition
• Shields and body armor
• Objects that can launch projectiles or stab, cut and slice
• Solid objects capable of inflicting bodily harm

Pedersen said the city will protect the rights of protestors, but, “We don’t believe you have the right to bring a baseball bat into the discussion.”

A revision since the first version of the law exempts ornamental rifles and swords, as well as large banners carried by marching bands in parades, from the list of banned items.

The ordinance maintains a ban on protests on the grounds of the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, on residential sidewalks and on the beach. Pedersen said those restrictions have been a part of city law for at least 10 years.

This story was originally published September 26, 2017 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Protesting in Myrtle Beach will not require a permit."