Cyndi Rafuse (right back) says her biracial family was the target of racial harassment while swimming with family and friends in Chester Basin. Photo - submitted
Cyndi Rafuse was enjoying a day of swimming with her friends and family at a small lake last Saturday on Lower Grant Road.
Rafuse had come down from Halifax to camp at a nearby site in Chester Basin with her husband Greg, her children, extended family and a group of friends.
The kids were enjoying the water and a nearby rope swing while the adults hung back to watch and chat – Overall a great day.
However, Rafuse said that all changed when a blue Ford Ranger sped into the parking lot.
“Two guys got out, and were just standing at the end of their truck bed, staring at us,” she said.
“We continued just doing what we were doing, but then my husband looked back at (the two guys), and the guy that was driving the truck was swinging a noose around.”
Rafuse, whose husband and son are African Nova Scotians, said it was at that point she decided to confront the teenager, who she assumed to be around 17 or 18.
“I yelled out to him and asked him if there was a problem, and he said ‘There might be,'” she said.
The adults started ushering the 20 children they had on the trip back to their vehicles as the situation began making them feel unsafe, said Rafuse.
The teen continued to stare at Rafuse and her family while they were packing up, she said, so she asked him again if he had a problem.
Rafuse’s brother then asked what was going on, and upon finding out the teen had been brandishing a noose, got angry and pushed him.
She said during the confrontation, her 13-year-old son found a beer bottle on the road, and threw it at the truck.
The teen then got on his phone, and out of fear of more potential people showing up, Rafuse and the group rushed to leave.
When they returned to the campground, they told the workers what had happened, who then called the police.
“The next day, a constable stopped by, and the first thing out of his mouth was ‘You damaged this guy’s truck and you need to pay for it,” said Rafuse.
Rafuse said the officer said the teen had reported a “big group of black guys that were causing trouble,” and upon finding out it was her 13-year-old son who threw the bottle, said he was not keen on charging the kid.
“He felt that if he charged my son, he said ‘What is stopping you from going to CBC and turning this into a big thing,'” she said.
Rafuse said the officer asked them to pay for the damages, which they declined to do.
Cpl. Lisa Croteau, public information officer with the RCMP did confirm the Lunenburg District had been called to the incident site, and that police were investigating the situation.
She said depending on the context of how the noose was involved and what was said during the situation, charges could potentially be pressed.
“Its going to depend on the intent (of the object), what was being said, and what was going on at the time,” said Croteau, “Investigators are speaking to witnesses to find out what happened.”
When asked about the officer’s response to the family potentially going to the media if they were to charge Rafuse’s 13-year-old son, she said she couldn’t comment on what is said by officers to members of the public.
Croteau said at this time, no charges have been laid, however the RCMP had reached out to Rafuse late Monday evening to inform her they would be sending her son a warning for throwing the bottle – creating a permanent record for the young teen.
The biracial family often travel through the South Shore, stopping at bakeries and small attractions in the likes of Chester, Mahone Bay and Lunenburg, said Rafuse, but never dealt with a racial incident quite as threatening as this.
“We’ve had the odd weird looks and creepy vibes, we’ve dealt with incidents, it’s tough,” she said.
“We travel through that area a lot, and we’ve never had a problem there until Saturday. It was terrifying.”
Follow Cody McEachern on Twitter at @CodyInHiFi for more.
