On Monday, February 12th, 2024 the Greenville Patriot Caucus had the honor of hosting an official launch at Hughes Main Library. During this launch and inaugural event, GPC was proud to welcome nearly 200 attendees, fellow conservative groups, non-profits, and elected officials. We would like to extend a sincere thank you to all who were able to attend and to those who were with us in spirit.
The event kicked off with an engaging opportunity to network and visit with other conservative groups and non-profits in attendance. To open, the Greenville Patriot Caucus proudly announced our endorsement of Donald J. Trump for President and provided an overview of the vision and mission of the organization, setting the stage for what is sure to be an inspiring and impactful journey of conservatives Advancing Liberty Together.
We then had the pleasure of hearing from Toni Clark with Defenders for Children, Sergeant Rainey with Internet Crimes Against Children, and Electronic Detection K9, “Queue”, about the impact of Election Detection K9s in the fight against child abuse, child pornography, child predators, and traffickers. Defenders for Children donate K9s that are trained to detect very small and concealable electronic devices that can be easily missed by law enforcement during searches of a suspect’s home. These devices can store millions of images and videos of child sexual abuse material and can contain the solid evidence needed to save children and prosecute criminals. Sgt. Rainey and Queue showed off their skills by providing a demonstration, where Queue quickly detected micro electronic devices hidden by her handler before the event. During the presentation we learned from Toni Clark that Defenders for Children have successfully donated 11 trained Electronic Detection K9s to law enforcement agencies across the nation. These K9s have already located over 2,200 devices leading to children being saved and criminals being put away for years - and they’re only just beginning. We cannot thank Defenders for Children, Sgt. Rainey, and Queue enough for taking the time to educate our community about this very important topic. We encourage you to learn more about the organization and how you can be instrumental in saving the lives of children by visiting their website.
GPC was honored to host a panel discussion with SC Senator Dwight Loftis, SC House Rep. Adam Morgan, Greenville County Councilman Benton Blount, Greenville County School Board Member Amanda Brett, and Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis. The panel was moderated by Charlie James, 98.9 WORD, focused on discovering synergies between all levels of SC Government, and clearly conveyed the importance of well-informed citizens being involved and uniting to make a difference.
We learned that our elected officials will be focused on many important issues from combatting indoctrination in our education system and the weaponization of our government, to fixing roads, ensuring we’re growing responsibly, protecting our communities from the effects of open borders, and helping to get more conservatives elected this year. When asked, “What does a good constituency look like to you?”, we received resounding answers with striking similarities from our panelists. It was clear that a good constituency is one that is involved! People who take the time to call and email, but more importantly, who are knowledgeable about the subject matter are impactful! Councilman Blount made a great point by saying that “the constituency drives the direction of the county”. GPC could not agree more! Representative Morgan went on to explain that “when there’s a void of constituency engagement, that void gets filled” often by lobbyists. This is profound - if we are not actively engaged, armed with knowledge, confidence, and credibility, and consistently building bridges with our elected officials, someone else is. Senator Loftis, GCSB Member Brett, and GCSO Sheriff Lewis agreed with these sentiments by expressing the fact that when you’re well-informed it shows you care, that you’ve taken the time to educate yourself before forming an opinion, and encouraged us to reach out, ask questions, and arm ourselves with facts. Finally, as Charlie James, wrapped up the panel he made the point to remind us that we need to acknowledge the good as well. GPC encourages our members to pick up the phone and say, “thank you” or “good job”, when an elected official stands firm in the face of adversity and represents your values.
GPC believes this is only the beginning of a reinvigorated conservative movement in Greenville. One that focuses on providing a positive and empowering experience for conservatives to build bridges through local action, partnership, and political participation. We look forward to what’s next as we Advance Liberty Together. If you were unable to attend or would like to watch the launch again, you can do so here.
