Florence, S.C. — City and police leaders met a packed crowd Wednesday night at the Iola Jones Community Center to hear Wilson High School alumni concerns about how officers handled the school’s 160th homecoming weekend.
Festivities drawing several thousand visitors ended with social media posts accusing Florence officers of over-policing and racial harassment. Alumni told Police Chief Angela Greene that some encounters left them feeling harassed, intimidated or disrespected.
Greene, who became police chief in March, apologized for the tone of one interaction and said vehicles blocking the fire department and residential driveways drove some responses. She denied that businesses were shut down and said some owners had called for help clearing parking lots.
The chief said the department used data analysis to decide where officers would most likely be needed and that the forum was meant to open dialogue before next year’s celebration. She said this year’s homecoming was safe, with no violent crimes reported.
Mayor Lethonia Barnes, a Wilson alumnus, told the crowd the city wants alumni to feel welcome and safe and asked for ideas on how to improve. Attendees and officials agreed better advance communication about permits and police presence could prevent future conflicts.
Wilson High began as a school for Black children founded by the Freedmen’s Bureau in 1866. Organizers and alumni said the weekend’s tradition matters and that mutual respect between officers and visitors should match the safety mission.
