‘I used the N-word!’: Store owner doesn’t regret racist tirade against Black customer

By Blue Telusma

·May 21, 2019

Terry Pace, a Mississippi furniture store owner is defending his use of a racial slur with customers. (WREG)

A furniture store owner in Southaven, Miss., was caught on video going on a racist tirade against his Black customers and wants the world to know he isn’t sorry for any of it.

According to local news station WREG, Hometown Furniture owner Terry Pace concedes that he hurled racial slurs at people in his store over the weekend but believes that his actions had merit.

“I don’t care what they say, I did what I felt like was right,” Pace told the station, which incidentally sent Jonee’ Lewis, a Black reporter, to cover the story. “You weren’t there. You didn’t hear it. You didn’t hear all the stuff I heard. I called him the n-word when it was over with. When it was all over with, and they kept mouthing off to me, yes m’am I used the n-word.”

Pace said he was attacked and left with a black eye in his confrontation. Police were called to the store, but there was no report filed.

Marvin Clark, another area business owner, says Pace made the racist comments to him specifically while he was at the establishment attempting to buy furniture.

“He was like, ‘No. I don’t finance, because the only people that want to get furniture financed is the colored. And they don’t pay their bills,’” Clark said, describing his volatile experience with Pace. “Yes. This is what he told me, and I let that go.”

“I couldn’t believe it. You hear people on TV saying these things, but to hear it in person just so aggressively was really off-putting,” said witness James Mayes.

Other witnesses who work in the plaza with Pace say this isn’t the first time he’s made offensive comments. Radhya Spencer, who is the property manager at the square where Hometown Furniture is located, has assured the community that she doesn’t plan to renew his lease when it expires next month. She also hopes this unfortunate incident doesn’t scare people away from businesses that don’t share Pace’s sentiments.

“We need to come out here and support the businesses.” said Spencer. “We need to come out here and support Southaven and uplift it. We don’t plan on having him stay.”