For eight years, Orangeburg City Councilman Jerry Hannah has created an outdoor Kwanzaa display at his business during the week following Christmas.
No one has stolen anything from his display until this year, Hannah said.
Hannah owns Goldstein’s on Russell, located at 101 Dorchester Street.
On Monday, as he reviewed surveillance camera footage at the business, he discovered that someone on a bike appeared to be taking the candles from the display at 7:49 p.m. on Christmas Day.
“It’s humorous, but it’s criminal,” he said.
When Hannah noticed that the candles, which stood about nine inches tall and were in glass holders, were missing, he felt disappointed, he said.
“It’s disappointing. It’s like having a snowman and it not having eyes or having a bike and taking the air out of the tires,” he said.
“It’s just heartless and senseless. If you see a cross, you let the cross stay there. It has significance to somebody,” he added.
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“These candles, this Kwanzaa, this kinara, has lots of significance. It’s not a kinara without the candles,” he said.
The kinara is a special candle holder for all of the Kwanzaa candles, which include three red, three green and one black.
The candles represent the seven Kwanzaa principles of unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.
Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday celebrating history, values, family, community and culture. The holiday was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga.
Hannah said he’s offering a $500 reward if anyone provides a tip that results in the arrest of the person responsible for taking the Kwanzaa candles from outside of his business on Saturday night.
To report tips, call the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office at 803-531-4647.
Contact the writer: mbrown@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5545. Follow on Twitter: @MRBrownTandD