The State, This Week: The man who filmed Walter Scott’s murder + a ‘snowstorm’ in Beaufort

Happy Friday, everybody. It’s Chase Karacostas.

A lot happened in the last seven days, from the gasoline drought to the resignation of President Robert Caslen from the University of South Carolina. So, it’s highly possible that you missed some of the biggest news of the week from around the state.

To start, interesting sculptures have cropped up around Greenville. Some residents call them “demonic” others say they are “inclusive,” The State’s Lyn Riddle reports. I haven’t decided how I feel, though I am generally a big fan of contemporary art. What are your thoughts? Email me with your spiciest takes.

Here’s what else you might have missed this week.

1. The quiet struggle of Feidin Santana, the man who filmed the Walter Scott shooting

Feidin Santana at his new barber shop, Change Up Cuts in North Charleston, South Carolina on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. He will have more than 14 barbers and stylists at his new shop.

Feiden Santana’s life lives in a binary: before he filmed Walter Scott’s murder by a police officer in North Charleston, and after.

He tries to find the little joys of life, like his favorite dessert, habichuelas con dulce, but everything feels bittersweet. No matter how many days pass, he says his life is defined by the day he saw Scott gunned down by police.

In a series of conversations with The State’s Caitlin Byrd, Santana spoke about Scott, his life since Scott’s death and what progress, if any, can be made to stop police brutality.

Here’s what he said.

2. ‘Melee’ in Charleston leads to big downtown safety changes

An estimated 100-person “melee” broke out on Charleston’s King Street in downtown early Sunday morning. At least six people were taken to the hospital after being shot or stabbed.

Now, the city is promising big changes to make its busiest street safer, The State’s Caitlin Byrd reports.

Here’s what to expect for at least the next few months.

• Double or triple the number of city police on patrol.

• One lane of King Street will be closed to drivers so police and other first responders can use it after 9 p.m. Thursday-Saturday.

• No more on-street parking along King between Spring and Mary Streets from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

3. Young man with autism involuntarily held at Grand Strand hospital

Shawna Sparlin gave up custody of her 18-year-old son Braeden, who has severe autism, to give him a better life.

Instead, he’s spent for than a month heavily medicated and trapped in a hospital room without the level of care she expected him to receive as a ward of the state.

The situation is Sparlin’s worst nightmare, The Sun News’ David Weissman reports. Her two older sons, Stephan and Shane, died while under the care of child protective services in Arizona. She fears the same fate for Braeden.

“These agencies just see the label of autism, but to me they’re just Stephan, Shane and Braedan,” she said. “They’re people with likes and dislikes just like anyone else. They deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, but they’re treating him like a caged animal.”

4. How a styrofoam ‘snowstorm’ in Beaufort sparked calls for tougher litter controls

Foam particles escaped a Boundary Street construction site in December. The incident is prompting the city to look at an ordinance to control construction site litter from being blown around the city.

Snow near the South Carolina coast is a rare occurrence, even during winter.

Except Beaufort’s December 2020 blizzard wasn’t snow at all, it was tiny plastic foam particles — created by the sanding of an insulation board — filling the air around a construction site.

• Piles of foam were found along the curb, in the street, in the median, in stormwater drains, in business parking lots across the street, in the grass of a park , buffer areas protecting a nearby salt marsh.
  
  

Particles getting into the ocean or rivers is a concern because they do not biodegrade and can be consumed by aquatic and marine creatures, the Island Packet’s Karl Puckett reports.

Now, Beaufort city officials are considering an ordinance aimed at preventing construction litter in general with the hope of protecting the local environment and the appearance of the community.

Owls, turtles and snakes, oh lord?

A baby Barred owl looks up to a parent in Melrose Heights where it fell from it’s nest. Neighbors have been keeping an eye on the bird, who is too young to fly, and have made a nest for it, a little lower to the ground.

Need some cuteness to balance out everything that went down this week? I’ve got you covered. Plus, some helpful tips for dealing with ome of South Carolina’s less cute (in my mom’s opinion) residents.

• The city of Columbia planned to remove April Gremllion’s beloved oak tree. Then they found a family of owls residing on its branches. Now, the trio has reached celebrity status in the neighborhood.

• Hilton Head saw its first nest of turtle season, which runs May 1-Oct. 31. Here are tips for making sure our cute (and friendly) friends make it to the water safely.

• He just needed a ride: a snake slithered our from under an S.C. woman’s hood while she was driving.

• Not everyone who saw a snake this week had a windshield protecting them. Here’s what one Hilton Head resident did to survive three bites from a venomous copperhead snake.

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