BLYTHEWOOD – At a little past the one-hour mark of Monday night’s town council meeting, one member of the audience, frustrated, stood up to complain about the length of the meeting, explaining that people were leaving and that he had small children waiting at home. He said he felt most people came to have input about the land development ordinance which was still down the list of the agenda. While the mayor appeared to take the impromptu complaint to heart, the meeting went on, lasting a little more than three hours.
First order of business on the agenda was a new item titled ‘Council Members Remarks,’ which was requested by Mayor Pro Tem Donald Brock. He said adding it to the agenda was necessary since Mayor Sloan Griffin had sent an email to all council members prior to the meeting asking that they not discuss the Movies in the Park incident at the Monday council meeting.
“I respectfully disagree. We should absolutely talk about it,” he said, suggesting that Griffin had again tried to shut council out of the decision making process of the town government.
“Within the last hour, you posted on Facebook an outline of what you recommend as a solution,” Brock said. “Once again, it is the Town of Blythewood party of one. I have not been consulted by you in any way, shape, or form in regard to any possible remedy for the events that occurred two Saturdays ago and at the most recent July 4 celebration.”
Addressing Griffin, Brock also said Griffin had promised an after-action report to the community regarding last summer’s July 4 event in which at least one teen was taken away from the park in an ambulance and another was arrested.
“Did you issue an after-action report?” he asked Griffin who looked away and said nothing. “Have any of you seen such a report?” Brock asked the other council members who replied, one by one, that they had not.
As Griffin continued to not respond, Brock read a laundry list of promises Griffin had made following the July 4 incident, listing safety measures Griffin said the Town would put in force for future park events, but that were never provided. Griffin continued to not respond.
“Now, again, Doko Park has ended up in the cross-hairs and that’s where [the teens] all gathered,” Brock said. “The question is what we are going to do about this in the future? Throwing dollars at it and bringing in law enforcement at $55/hour may not be the answer. What can we do so this doesn’t happen again?”
As council members began a discussion, Councilwoman Fripp suggested starting with a town hall meeting in which parents and community members can express their concerns and ideas for solutions.
Interim Administrator Ed Driggers suggested hiring school resource officers who might know the teens from school and could have a better influence on them than deputies who don’t know them. However some parents of teens say students from high schools as far away as Dutch Fork, Fairfield Central, and A.C. Flora were in attendance at Movies in the Park.
Until a final decision is made by council, Griffin has issued a statement, without consulting council, that Richland County Sheriff’s Department deputies will be present at all public and private events held in Doko Meadows Park. Town events like Movies in the Park will have two deputies assigned. Large events like Juneteenth and 4th of July will see a significant increase. He also stated that private events in the park are now required to cover the cost of law enforcement as part of future rental agreements.
Sheriff to Conduct Community Conversation
Sheriff Leon Lott has been invited to conduct a conversation with the community regarding ways to stem the problems that have occurred at the July 4 and Movies in the Park events. The conversation will be held at Doko Manor, April 2, at 6:30 p.m.
