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Charleston is voted 'top city in the world' but tourists do not see darker side, say activists

It is beautiful and charming, but problems like homelessness, hunger and racism still exist in the city today

Rachael Revesz
New York
Thursday 07 July 2016 19:41 BST
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Charleston is an increasingly popular tourist spot
Charleston is an increasingly popular tourist spot

Charleston, South Carolina, has been voted “the best city in the world” by a travel magazine, but charities have voiced concerns about a city struggling with an influx of residents.

Travel + Leisure readers praised the historic city’s architecture, hospitality, and charm.

“Charleston is a remarkably dynamic place, so it's no surprise that it has achieved its highest ranking ever in our survey as this year's best city in the world,” said editor Nathan Lump.

Yet the state has featured on other lists, including the 10th “most racist” state in the US, according to a website which lets people vote on top ten lists.

As tourism and the city grows, Charleston is struggling with an insufficient public transport system and needs more resources to meet the needs of its homeless population.

Anthony Haro, executive director of the Lowcountry Homeless Coalition, said there are more than 450 people who are homeless, and close to half of them are without shelter. That is because there is only one emergency shelter in Charleston for men and women, and two more for women throughout seven neighbouring South Carolina counties.

Mr Haro also pointed to a recent encampment of around 120 homeless people under a bypass which closed down in March.

“That was a significant waking up experience for local government and citizens,” said Mr Haro.

“From my perspective we have the resources to get ahead on homelessness but we need investment from the county and the city government level.”

As downtown Charleston becomes gentrified, many homeless people are relocated to North Charleston, an area outside the city with crumbling transport links.

“I think Charleston is a fantastic place, I fell in love when I moved here six years ago,” said Mr Haro. “But there is a significant amount of work the community can do in terms of helping all of its citizens live more holistically and homelessness is one of these areas.”

The city has a darker history, including the infamous Red Summer race riots of 1919.

All along the rivers are former slave plantations, some of which are open to the public today as visitor attractions, some glossing over the murkier history of the houses and grounds.

Boone Hall Plantation in Mount Pleasant, near Charleston, South Carolina

Extremism still lingers in the area. It is home to two hate groups, as defined by the Southern Poverty Law Center, including white nationalist group Patriotic Flags and black separatist movement Nation of Islam.

It is also the city where 21-year-old Dylan Roof walked into a downtown church in June last year and gunned down nine African Americans. He was from Columbia, a town about two hours drive from the city.

Nine people were killed in June 2015 inside Charleston's Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church (Andrew Buncombe )

In 2016, discrimination remains. Members of the LGBT community can be fired from their jobs and denied housing.

Warren Redman-Gress, executive director of the Alliance for Full Acceptance, said Charleston is a city that is “growing in its understanding of equality”.

He said he was providing diversity training for the local police department that evening, but thanked several LGBT advocates within the police, including police chief Gregory Mullen.

“We have legal equality here, but not a lived equality,” he said.

In Charleston itself there are human rights ordinances to prevent discrimination in housing and employment that do not exist in the state as a whole, but still “many businesses do discriminate,” according to Mr Redman-Gress.

He insisted however, that Charleston is a “wonderful place to live”.

How does he feel that Charleston has been voted number one city in the world?

“I was a little surprised,” he said.

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