GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — Tensions got heated at a protest outside the Gaston County Courthouse Wednesday evening as groups gathered to protest for Black Lives Matter.
The protests were in response to an incident earlier this week when a woman claimed she was a customer at Tony’s Ice Cream and was discriminated against for wearing a Black Lives Matter pin.
That same woman was later cited for trespassing.
Among the protesters at the courthouse were the Black Panthers group, some who carried assault rifles. As the crowds began to grow outside the courthouse, a dispersal order was given and SWAT officers were called to the scene to help clear out the crowds.
Soon after, the protest shifted to the area outside of Tony’s Ice Cream on East Franklin Boulevard instead.
There, it was somewhat of a standoff between protesters and anti-protesters. Officers eventually closed off the street to help control the crowd and prevent tensions from boiling over.
SWAT officers were also called to the scene yet again.
WCNC Charlotte spoke to those within the crowd who shared their different points of view.
“I love everybody — black, white, blue, green, purple,” Gastonia Resident Latonya Brice said. “What I don’t like is the disrespect. What I don’t like is how unfair it is in the world today.”
“This should be long gone by now,” Gastonia Resident Megan Guthrie said. “Why can’t we work together, why can’t it be an effort to come together as a community.”
It took several hours for police to eventually clear the entire area.