MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – A federal judge in Greenville heard the NAACP’s argument against the Myrtle Beach traffic loop Tuesday afternoon. No decision was made Tuesday, but the judge said a decision will come down as soon as possible.
Leaders with the NAACP argue that the Myrtle Beach 23-mile traffic loop should not be implemented during Memorial Day weekend.
A June 5 hearing was originally set for Judge A Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. to hear the case inside the Florence federal courthouse, according to court documents. The date and location for the hearing were changed to Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in Greenville, which allows for the judge to possibly stop the traffic loop from being used Memorial Day weekend.
The NAACP filed a lawsuit against the City of Myrtle Beach and the police department in February. The lawsuit claims discrimination, among other things, over the traffic loop’s implementation during Memorial Day weekend but not during other seasonal events that draw a large number of visitors. The NAACP also requested a preliminary injunction to stop the traffic loop from being used during next month’s bike fest.
The NAACP’s complaint states there are drastic differences between two bike events held in the city in May. The lawsuit alleges that African-American bikers are treated differently during Black Bike Week, a title used by NAACP officials during a February press conference, compared to the treatment of majority-White bikers during Harley Week.
The complaint claims that the two events “attract a similar number of visitors to the Myrtle Beach area” but “…the City deploys far more police officers during Black Bike Week than Harley Week and that the police officers utilize overly aggressive policing tactics against African Americans.”
In a press release distributed by the NAACP, officials claim that the 23-mile traffic loop and police behavior discriminates against African-American visitors.
