TACOMA, Wash. — The owner of a local arcade and bar is feeling the backlash after protesters said he used the n-word at a “Black Lives Matter” protest over the weekend.
Sunday, the group was protesting on Pacific Avenue near Dorky’s, when business owner Les Voros-Bond came outside. He used a bullhorn to interrupt the rally. Then video shows him getting in the face of a 35-year-old African American dentist.
It’s hard to make out what is said but it appears, and protesters confirm, Voros-Bond said the n-word.
“My hand was shaking, and I was just like: ‘oh my god, he’s going to do something to my son,’” said Georgia Horton, who was recording the video. “My son has worked really hard all his life, and for someone to just disrespect him like that, when all we’re doing is being within our rights.”
There is also a second video shot by the dentist that appears to show Dorky’s owner saying the n-word again -- a minute after the first incident.
Now there are calls on Facebook to boycott the business. Dorky’s Facebook rating dropped from more than four stars to less than two stars throughout the day Monday.
Spoke w/ mom who shot video of her son (a dentist) she says being called the n-word by owner of Tacoma bar #Dorkys raw emotion when she described what happened
Posted by Henry Rosoff on Monday, August 10, 2015
Voros-Bond told the Tacoma News Tribune he is not a racist, and he only repeated the n-word after he himself was called it. He also said he initially went out to the protest because the group was blocking traffic.
However, Voros-Bond did send Horton an apology note on Facebook. It said he is not a racist and offers to move forward by allowing the protesters to use his business to organize in the future. Although he admits in the note to Horton that he knows it is unlikely his offer will be accepted.
Horton said she does not believe the apology is sincere and does not plan to respond.
Want to talk about the news of the day? Watch free streaming video on the KIRO 7 mobile app and iPad app, and join us here on Facebook.