Protest and Assembly Rights in South Carolina

Your protest rights are strongest when:

• You're on public property — sidewalks, parks, plazas, and the areas in front of government buildings are traditional public forums with the highest level of protection.
• You're engaged in expressive activity: speaking, marching, picketing, distributing literature, holding signs, even silently kneeling.
• You're recording police or other public officials performing their duties in public.

What the government can regulate:

• Time: Reasonable curfews or limits — no amplified sound after 10 p.m., for example.
• Place: Narrow buffer zones around courthouses, certain clinics, military funerals. McCullen v. Coakley (2014) struck down a 35-foot abortion-clinic buffer for being broader than necessary.
• Manner: Permits for large marches that block streets, sound limits, anti-camping rules in certain parks.
• Permits: Cities can require them for big demonstrations, but the rule has to be content-neutral, with alternative channels open, and not used to silence unpopular views.

Three myths:

• "I need a permit to protest." Not for small groups on public sidewalks or in parks. Permits typically come into play only when you're blocking streets or doing something that needs city services.
• "They can arrest me just for being there." Not for lawful peaceful protest. They can arrest for blocking traffic without a permit, trespassing on private property, or actual violence.
• "Counter-protesters can be banned." No. Counter-protesters have the same First Amendment rights, and police have to protect both sides equally.