1999-2000 Bill 5156: NAACP, Condemning Continuation of Boycott Against Tourism Industry;

1 BIL: 5156 2 TYP: Concurrent Resolution CR 3 INB: House 4 IND: 20000531 5 PSP: Trotter 6 SPO: Trotter 7 DDN: l:\council\bills\ggs\22693cm00.doc 8 RBY: House 9 COM: Invitations and Memorial Resolutions Committee 24 HIMR 10 SUB: NAACP, condemning continuation of boycott against tourism industry; 11 Resolutions, Requests, Parks, Recreation and Tourism 12 13 14 15 HST: 16 17 Body Date Action Description Com Leg Involved 18 ______19 House 20000531 Introduced, referred to Committee 24 HIMR 20 21 22 Versions of This Bill 23 24 25 26 27 TXT: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 10 11 CONDEMNING THE NAACP’S CONTINUATION OF ITS 12 BOYCOTT AGAINST SOUTH CAROLINA AND CALLING 13 UPON THE NAACP TO END THE BOYCOTT 14 IMMEDIATELY. 15 16 Whereas, in July of 1999, the National Association for the 17 Advancement of Colored People organized a secondary boycott 18 against the tourism industry of the State of South Carolina in order 19 to coerce the General Assembly of South Carolina to remove the 20 Confederate Flag from the State House dome; that the NAACP’s 21 secondary boycott has been supported by churches, ministerial 22 alliances, and other groups; and 23 24 Whereas, from July of 1999, until the present, the NAACP has 25 been actively engaged in a campaign to do harm to the South 26 Carolina tourism industry, as well as other industries in South 27 Carolina, by urging persons who wish to hold conventions or 28 meetings in the State to “consider locations other than the State of 29 South Carolina as convention or meeting sites, until such time as 30 the Confederate Battle Flag is removed from positions of 31 sovereignty in the State of South Carolina”; and 32 33 Whereas, the tourism industry of South Carolina, including 34 convention sites, auditoriums, convention centers, hotels, motels, 35 restaurants, and other similar establishments and businesses are 36 innocent bystanders in the flag debate and had nothing whatsoever 37 to do with the flag controversy; and 38 39 Whereas, the NAACP’s relentless continuing boycott against the 40 South Carolina tourism industry has resulted in at least 117 41 cancellations of events or meetings in South Carolina; that such 42 boycott has resulted in the breach of numerous existing contracts

1 [5156] 1 1 and the breaking of numerous existing agreements entered into in 2 good faith by South Carolina merchants and businesses, costing 3 these merchants and businesses millions of dollars in anticipated 4 revenue therefrom; and 5 6 Whereas, the NAACP’s boycott against the South Carolina 7 tourism industry has seriously exacerbated racial tensions in South 8 Carolina and has caused significant ill will and racial polarization; 9 and 10 11 Whereas, in May of 2000, the General Assembly enacted 12 legislation signed by the Governor which will on July 1 remove 13 the Confederate Naval Jack from the State House dome and from 14 the chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives and 15 will permanently erect the flag of the Army of Northern Virginia at 16 the Confederate Soldier’s Monument on the State House grounds; 17 and 18 19 Whereas, the South Carolina President of the NAACP has 20 indicated in response to the enactment of this legislation that he is 21 “disappointed and insulted that the General Assembly of our State 22 reached a shallow political decision” and has announced that the 23 NAACP’s boycott against the tourism industry would remain in 24 effect and that the NAACP will now impose a similar boycott 25 against South Carolina’s film and movie industry; that persons in 26 South Carolina’s film and movie industry are also innocent 27 bystanders in the flag controversy; that individuals involved in that 28 industry have stated publicly that the NAACP’s boycott will result 29 in breaches of existing contracts entered into in good faith and will 30 thereby cost them significant loss of revenue; and 31 32 Whereas, the NAACP’s secondary boycott against innocent 33 bystanders in the tourism and movie industry may violate anti-trust 34 laws, the Unfair Trade Practices Act, other statutory laws, or the 35 common law of South Carolina, or may be actionable under South 36 Carolina law, or both, and the Attorney General of South Carolina 37 is currently investigating the legality of the boycott and whether 38 legal action is available; and 39 40 Whereas, the NAACP appears to be willing to accept no 41 compromise, but continues to demand total removal of the 42 Confederate Flag from the State House grounds and placement of 43 the Flag in a glass case in a museum; that such removal from the

1 [5156] 2 1 State House grounds is unacceptable to the General Assembly of 2 South Carolina; and 3 4 Whereas, the General Assembly, by placing the Confederate Flag 5 on the State House grounds at the Soldier’s Monument, is violating 6 no one’s civil rights or any constitutionally protected right; thus, 7 the purpose of the NAACP’s continuing boycott, to remove the 8 Confederate Flag from the State House grounds, will vindicate no 9 constitutionally protected right; and 10 11 Whereas, the NAACP’s continued agitation in the face of South 12 Carolina’s removal of the Confederate Flag from the dome of the 13 State House is harmful not only to innocent victims, but also to 14 race relations in this State and is detrimental to the public interest 15 of South Carolina; and 16 17 Whereas, in a diverse society such as South Carolina, we must be 18 about the business of uniting together, not dividing against one 19 another, that all symbols, including the Confederate Flag, must be 20 respected by one another. Now, therefore, 21 22 Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate 23 concurring: 24 25 That the General Assembly hereby condemns the NAACP’s 26 continued boycott against the State of South Carolina and calls 27 upon the NAACP to bring this boycott to an immediate and 28 complete end so the State of South Carolina can move on to more 29 important issues. 30 ----XX----

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