City drops all charges against Myrtle Beach Black Lives Matter protesters

A special prosecutor on Tuesday agreed to drop all charges against seven protesters who were arrested outside the Myrtle Beach Police Department in 2020 during the demonstrations over George Floyd’s murder.

The prosecutor’s decision came a day after a Myrtle Beach judge ruled that the city had not proven its disorderly conduct case against the first local protester to go to trial this week. Then came Tuesday’s decision, which eliminated the misdemeanor cases against the other protestors.

“It’s over. You can go home. It’s like it didn’t happen,” defense attorney Amy Lawrence-Lovely said to two clients after they had waited more than two years for their cases to be heard.

The charges stemmed from a Blacks Lives Matter protest on May 31, 2020, and a city-wide curfew that officials implemented in Myrtle Beach in the wake of the demonstrations, which were happening in cities across the country after a Minnesota police officer murdered Floyd.

“It’s hard to put into words,” Lakyn Skipper said of the protest and subsequent arrest. “It was a whirlwind. There was so much happening at once. It was intense. It was a very intense time.”

The intensity ended for Skipper with a whisper from the city’s special prosecutor, James Battle, that the city would not be proceeding with the case.

“I’m mentally scarred but physically unharmed,” Skipper said of the protest and facing charges of breaking the city’s curfew.

Alexander Sullivan, who was expecting to make his case in front of a jury on Tuesday, stood nearby with his face frozen in a smile.

Sullivan had been skateboarding in the protest line when he was charged with disorderly conduct and using profane language.

Smiling, he said he didn’t want to talk about the day he described as “chaotic.” But he wanted to thank his all-female attorney team from the Lovely Law Firm.

“This is really over?” he asked, embracing Aimee Zmroczek and Sharde’ D. Crawford as Sarah M. Austin waited her turn to hug him.