ACLU opens office in Charleston

The American Civil Liberties Union opened a new South Carolina Office today in the Old Exchange Building, the place where the state's constitution was ratified in 1788.

Interim executive director Graham Boyd took time Wednesday afternoon to answer questions about the organization's stance on some controversial issues affecting the lives of South Carolinians, including the Legislature's new plan to deal with illegal immigrants and incidents of mistreatment by state troopers caught on video tape.

"There is a deep and abiding need here in South Carolina for the continued protection of our most central American values," Boyd said in a statement. "The ACLU's South Carolina Office is committed to preserving the principles contained within the Bill of Rights for all South Carolinians."

As a way of gauging the needs in South Carolina, the office will hold community meetings across the state in July and August. The office will also be seeking responses to a Web-based survey at www.aclusouthcarolina.org.

"As a guardian of civil liberties and the rights provided by the Constitution, the ACLU will provide the citizens of South Carolina the strength of their voice and their dedication," Charleston Mayor Joe Riley said in a statement. "We are pleased to welcome the office and Graham Boyd to Charleston and look forward to the participation of this fine organization in our state."

To read more on the story, check out The Post and Courier tomorrow.