Statement of John Tecklenburg on the Horrific Shootings at Emanuel AME Church
June 18, 2015
CHARLESTON, SC – Charleston mayoral candidate John Tecklenburg released the following statement on the horrific shootings at Emanuel AME church:
Words cannot express the heartbreak that Sandy and I are feeling today.
For almost 200 years, Mother Emanuel AME Church has been a sanctuary of peace and love in our community, a place where men and women of faith have come together for prayer and fellowship in good times and bad. Last night, that sanctuary was desecrated by an act of pure evil that took the lives of nine of our fellow citizens, including my friend, the Rev. Clementa Pinckney.
But that single evil act, horrific as it is, does not define us.
We are not a city of hate. We are a city of tolerance and peace and love. And in the hours ahead, as our entire Charleston family comes together to support the victims of this terrible tragedy, the world will see a city united in prayer and common purpose, as we grieve for the good people of Mother Emanuel AME, and seek justice for the heinous crime that’s been committed not just against them, but against us all.
About John Tecklenburg
For more than 25 years, Charleston native John Tecklenburg has served our city as a businessman, a civic leader, and a city government executive with a clear record of success.
A graduate of Georgetown University, John was the founder and president of Southern Oil Company until he sold the business in 1995. Next, John served as Charleston’s Director of Economic Development under Mayor Joe Riley, where he led the city’s nationally acclaimed initiative to revitalize and redevelop Upper King Street. Over the years, John has also served on the boards of many local charities and nonprofits, including Crisis Ministries, the Rotary Club, the Palmetto Project, and the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League.
Today, John works with commercial clients at Clement, Crawford & Thornhill, and serves as the president of SC Strong, which in 2011 was recognized by the SC Secretary of State’s office as one of South Carolina’s Top Ten Nonprofits. He is the proud father of five grown children – Melissa, Suzanne, Paula, Joseph and John Henry – and lives in West Ashley with his wife, Sandy.
