TYRONE, Pa. (WTAJ) — A handful of demonstrators have been protesting outside of the Tyrone Borough Building for a few days. They say some folks in the area have not been very accepting of it.
“A gentleman in one of the homes across the street shouted the N-word at us, calling us N lovers,” said Richie Bonsel, one of the lead protesters. Bonsel continued, “The day before people joined me when I was here alone, a man drove past and mimed cutting his throat and shaking his head at me.”
“Racism is alive and well here in Tyrone whether the people here want to admit it or not.”
Richie Bonsel
He says the fact that there are only a few of them shows how much the Tyrone community needs change. Fellow protesters agreed that Tyrone needs to step up and address racism as a real issue in Central PA.
Demonstrator Tracie Hunter says she’s protesting because she’s seen racism first hand. “We were in elementary school and she was getting called names and just seeing her cry after school. I will never forget that and I haven’t spoken to her in years, ” Hunter stated.
The group says they’ll be protesting from 7 to 9 p.m. every day through Saturday and have signs for anyone who would like to join.
