From Fox News: A small South Carolina town committee refused to remove a Nativity scene from a market parking lot after the mayor ordered it taken down from public property.
Around Thanksgiving, Kimberly Byrd, head of the Mullins Beautification Committee in Mullins, South Carolina, said her small team decided to decorate the city’s new marketplace area for its first Christmas season “like a Hallmark movie,” hoping to draw more customers to the downtown area.
The group spent about two weeks placing decorations they paid for out of their own pockets, including a snowman, wreaths, lights, Santa Claus and a small 3-by-4-foot Nativity scene. Byrd said she later received a text from Mayor Miko Pickett asking her to remove the Nativity scene, citing concerns about residents of other faiths and beliefs in the community.
Stunned over the request, Byrd said, “Our small town, we have a church on every corner. It’s a faith-based community in the Bible Belt. I’ve been here 53 years of my life and never heard of anything like this happening here.”
“Christ is why we celebrate Christmas,” Byrd continued. “I really thought she would probably change her mind or come back and say, ‘I’m sorry, I made a mistake. Let’s have a meeting about this,’ but nothing.”
Mayor Pickett then tried to justify his request in a Facebook post. He wrote:
CLARIFICATION ON NATIVITY SCENE IN PUBLIC SPACES
I would like to clarify my reported comment about the nativity scene. I requested that the nativity scene be removed solely from the PUBLIC parking area. The reason for this is the separation of Church and State applies to muncipalities as well, regarding religous symbols on public property and parks.We are a community composed of various ethnicities and religious beliefs. Both my family and I are deeply rooted in our own beliefs.
I want to emphasize that I have never stated that nativity scenes should be prohibited in Mullins.
If there was any misunderstanding regarding my request, it was specifically about the PUBLIC space. I take pride in being the mayor for everyone, regardless of whether you voted for me or share the same beliefs as my family.
Happy Holidays All!
A small South Carolina town committee refused to remove a Nativity scene from a market parking lot after the mayor ordered it taken down from public property. https://t.co/z2l7lMt5VR
— We Need Revival (@JesuFreak6r3) December 21, 2025
Bah humbug! Becket has bestowed the Ebenezer Award on Mayor Miko Pickett of Mullins, South Carolina, after she tried to ice a town Nativity scene—earning her Becket’s highest (dis)honor. Happily, this Christmas story also has a hero: Kimberly Byrd, the Mullins Beautification… pic.twitter.com/rcKAfKfC5n
— BECKET (@becketfund) December 18, 2025
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