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The Blair County NAACP has concluded its investigation into a racist incident at the Duncansville-based Aviation Inn restaurant about a month after a receipt displaying a racially derogatory comment from the establishment went viral online.
Blair County NAACP President Andrae Holsey said in a public service announcement emailed to the Mirror that the affected customer told him in an interview that the employee, known as "Pugs," had retrieved her pickup order. The customer, a woman of color, told Holsey that once she got home, she looked at her meal receipt and saw that it read "(n-word) chik."
The customer told Holsey that she had called the restaurant and talked to the owner, Allen Butterbaugh, who said it "was a joke amongst the kitchen," and "this got out of hand," before handing the phone to Pugs, according to the announcement.
Holsey said that both Butterbaugh and the customer confirmed that Pugs told her "it wasn't me, sorry" before hanging up. The customer then posted the receipt to Facebook.
In the announcement, Holsey said that he, Executive Committee Chairman Tracy Brown and First Vice President Darius Morgan met with Butterbaugh on June 23 to discuss a resolution to the matter.
All parties agreed that Butterbaugh would work with the NAACP to establish a code of ethics and conduct for The Aviation Inn.
"As a small-business owner, it is necessary to plan for and respond appropriately to bias/prejudice incidents in one's business," Holsey wrote in the PSA.
Threats against the restaurant and the NAACP following the incident "are equally appalling and highly discouraged," the PSA also read.
"It's been dragged out," Holsey said during the branch's monthly meeting Wednesday. "It has uprooted all kinds of other issues in this community and some of the overwhelming support that we've received in speaking out against it was very surprising. ... We also got threatened in our inbox. They told us that we are liberal Nazi pieces of you-know and that they hope we choke on our woke m-fing agenda. So, yeah, that's where we're at."
Butterbaugh had previously said that he had been called racist, had people threatening to mess up the restaurant and had been getting harassing phone calls since the incident.
"We found it equally appalling," Butterbaugh had said. "We are not like that. We have been in Duncansville for over 10 years, and I've worked against this kind of racism. I've been open to everyone here."
While Butterbaugh couldn't be reached for further comment, he recently told WTAJ that the restaurant had received "pretty significant threats, from people coming to shoot up the place, to a group coming from Brooklyn to take care of business."
In its PSA, the Blair County NAACP said that "taking matters into one's own hands with violence threatens the integrity of the judicial process and therefore obstructs the progress of our legal system in protecting racial/ethnic equality."
The NAACP concluded its investigation by saying that it does not believe the management or owners encouraged bias/prejudice with malicious intent and that it is "elated that The Aviation Inn is willing and able to make changes to its business to protect minority patrons and employees." It also applauded the affected customer for coming forward and encouraged others to do the same when they experience bias or prejudice.
"The Aviation Inn, which boasts excellent reviews and stellar inspection reports, has taken an important step in the right direction by agreeing to work with the NAACP," the PSA read. "Together, as a community, we can ensure that Blair County is a pleasant place to eat, work, and live for everyone, regardless of the color of their skin."
Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor is at 814-946-7458.