By Carlie Baker
Published: Jun. 15, 2024 at 11:08 PM EDT|Updated: Jun. 15, 2024 at 11:23 PM EDT
HANAHAN, S.C. (WCSC) - The Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s Office hosted an event for the Latino community at Hanahan City Hall on Saturday night.
The speakers at the event were Hanahan Mayor Christie Rainwater, Hanahan Police Department’s Chief Rick Gebhardt, Lt. Flor “Chico” Reyes, Sgt. Carlos Reyna and Det. Manual Valderrama, as well as members of the Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s Office and community partners.
The purpose of this event was to have a conversation with the Latino community so they can better understand what the laws are in place in the United States, the steps they can take to report a crime and the resources that are available to them as victims.
Around 20 people from the Latino community attended the event. They were able to share their own stories and ask any questions they had for the agencies.
Rainwater says that there are immigration issues and that they have to figure out ways to make them better so the city is a safe place. She says oftentimes there are situations where a crime happens to an illegal immigrant but it’s not reported for fear of deportation.
“There was a crime in the city of Hanahan against a Hispanic family. They were scared to come to the police because they were illegal, but what it does is it welcomes more crime when those that are victims of crime don’t report it,” Rainwater says.
Sgt. Carlos Reyna says by having this event, they can share with this population that it is not their job to deport them if they report a crime.
“People are afraid. They think that we are Immigration, and the main thing that we want to get across is we’re not. We’re here for you only. If you’re a victim of a crime, we’re here to help you,” Reyna says. “We don’t care about your legal status, that’s what federal authorities are for, you know, we’re your local authorities.”
Reyna says this has become a big misconception with them, and he wants this community to feel comfortable and safe where they live.
Many of the participants shared personal stories regarding domestic violence.
Reyna explained what the law was here in the United States for domestic violence and that the victims could report it to the Hanahan Police Department without the fear of getting deported. He encouraged them to call the police department and said they would investigate it.
“We’re here for you. We want to make sure you know what we’re about as a department and as citizens,” Reyna says. “At the end of the day we want you to know that we’re here for you whether you are Hispanic, you know, American, it doesn’t matter your color, you know, what language you speak. Our goal is to make sure that you get the right help.”
Assistant Solicitor for Charleston County’s Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s Office Marianella Namlick says it’s important to make this community aware that they offer programs and resources for victims once a police report has been made.
Once there is a report, Namlick says the solicitor’s office identifies if there is a victim in the case and their victim advocates get involved.
“I hope they never need us, but if they do, or they can spread the word with other people in the Hispanic community, how this kind of works. Especially to put the right contact information. Don’t be afraid if you don’t have the documentation for immigration purposes because being a victim we don’t see into the status of immigration,” Namlick says.
Rainwater says she is hoping to continue to have more events like this with even more people from the Latino community joining.
“It’s so interesting because we kind of launched this and just said ‘let’s see how it goes’ and I would say after tonight’s turnout it just has to be a first event of many,” she says.
She recommends checking out social media if they have another one of these events. The Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s Office posted about the event on Facebook, as well as went on a Hispanic radio station promoting the event.
She also thanked one of their community partners, Lydia Cotton, for spreading the word as she is connected to a lot of the Latino communities.
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