A Wayne County Back the Blue rally from over the weekend is facing backlash after a Sodus Army veteran recorded participants appearing to yell racist slurs as they passed through town.

What You Need To Know

  • A Sodus woman says she recorded Back the Blue rally participants using racial slurs as they passed her on Sunday

  • Her video of the incident attracted a lot of attention on Facebook

  • Organizers of the event reached out to her to apologize saying these actions do not represent their cause

  • Wayne County Sheriff Barry Virts is having the video analyzed by state police

"It's not okay to sit back and let people call you out of your name. You have to speak up. I'm tired of just being called bad names," said Tatyana Conner as she started to tear up while recalling her experience at the rally.

Conner says she went to the Back the Blue rally passing through Sodus to support first responders.

She intended to record video and take pictures to send to the organizers.

As Conner started recording, she says she heard the N-word yelled out multiple times as the motorcycles went by. She says someone also told her to take a knee.

"I felt so unsafe in my hometown. I couldn't support the individuals who are supposed to take care of us, the individual who put out the fires, and arrest people," Conner said.

She posted the video to her facebook page and it went viral getting hundreds of likes and shares.

After the post, Conner says organizers of the rally reached out to her to apologize.

While she accepted the apology, she believes it's not enough.

"I do not fault them whatsoever. I definitely fault the individuals who did say it and they should be held accountable. It's 2020. We have to get out of this 1818 mindset. We gotta love over hate," said Conner.

One of the organizers of the Wayne County Back the Blue rally informed Spectrum News that the Wayne County's Sheriff's Office is handling the case.

The sheriff's office also shared Tatyana's post on facebook with a statement from Sheriff Barry Virts saying:

"It was not the intention of the rally organizers and the vast majority of people showing support to and for accountable law enforcement to cause anyone harm or alarm. It is disgusting that anyone would use hateful language at a rally, in public or in private conversation. Racist and hateful speech is never acceptable. It is the extreme fringes of any organization, movement or gathering that causes an organization, movement or gatherings problems from the core statement or action(s) being conveyed. I have contacted the New York State Police Troop E Forensic Unit to analyze the video."

— Sheriff Barry Virts, Wayne County Sheriff's Office

Conner says she feels she can't support the Back the Blue movement after that experience and is speaking out because she believes Sodus and Wayne County have to do better.

"I think the people in our town, in our county, should definitely do more for African Americans because it's not fair. It's not fair at all."