Irmo Town Council unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance that would make hate crimes illegal within town limits.

Councilwoman Phyllis Coleman brought this item up for discussion, emphasizing the need for protection for all residents. She noted that some of Irmo falls under Richland County, which was the first in South Carolina to adopt a countywide hate crime ordinance, also called a hate intimidation ordinance. 

Coleman said it’s only fair to add a section on hate intimidation so that all residents are protected within the town. 

“No child should grow up in a culture that remotely condones hate and intimidation as any kind of behavior,” Coleman said. “Because then they become the generation where it's practiced as common behavior.”

“I don’t want Irmo to even remotely be seen as a place where that’s okay,” she added.

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

The added section states: “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.”

Orangeburg County recently became the second in the state to pass a similar ordinance. 

Council members will meet Tuesday, Sept. 2, 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, Sept. 16 at 6 p.m., at the same location.