Group Plans Protest of Summerville Motel Saturday

One of downtown Summerville's most visible motels will be the spotlight of a Saturday protest at Azalea Park. 

A group calling itself the Charleston Amputee Support Team, led by Melissa Lord, is protesting Hamilton Motel's lack of handicap accessibility. 

Hamilton Motel Owner and Manager Peter Patel told Patch his motel is not handicap accessible. He said before he would consider making it handicap accessible, he would have to talk to his hotel association. 

Picketing will be 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. The group has acquired a 25-person permit from the town, according to Lord.

Lord is an amputee. 

"On June 25, I needed a motel room for the night and, wanting something local, I called the Hamilton Motel. And, when I called them, I requested a handicap accessible room and they told me they don't welcome the handicapped because they need too much," Lord said. 

As of Friday afternoon, Patel was unaware of a planned protest of his business.

"If they're upset, then somebody has got to tell me first or talk to me about it before they do a protest or anything," Patel said.

According to Town Building Official Richard Palmer, the Hamilton Motel is grandfathered into the American with Disabilities Act of 1991. The Act only affects new construction or renovated existing buildings.

"They haven't renovated," Pamer said. "We cannot force them to make it accessible."