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Congratulations to our presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden!
Sevier Co. businesses worried about calls for boycott
Steps away from Sevierville's Dolly Parton statue, protesters with signs condemning homophobia greet picture-hungry tourists. It marks the merger of protest and tourism, a growing concern after a Sevier County Commissioner's offensive comments at a public meeting Monday.
Talking about the Democratic presidential race, longtime Commissioner Warren Hurst said "we got a queer running for president. If that ain't about as ugly as you can get."
Later, another commissioner confirmed to 10News, Hurst said "I'm not prejudiced, a white male in this country has very few rights and they're getting took more every day." Tina Storm is one of hundreds to tweet #BoycottSevierCounty.
"I don't know that I'll ever go back," she said. Storm lives in North Carolina and visits Gatlinburg twice a year with her daughter--or at least she used to. "A commissioner with those kinds of thoughts and opinions, it's not a place where I want to spend my money. Because it's the opposite of how I believe people should treat each other," Storm said.
Calls for a national boycott have business owners here worried.
"From a business standpoint, we are just recovering from the devastation of the 2016 fires," Vesna Plakanis, the co-owner of hiking tourism agency A Walk in the Woods, said. "We want our guests to understand that this does not represent us as a community, it does not represent us as a business."
10News reached out again Wednesday to Commissioner Hurst. He did not respond.
https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/sevier-co-businesses-worried-about-calls-for-boycott/51-7d6ec6ac-95fb-45b8-b012-b93b303337ff
Talking about the Democratic presidential race, longtime Commissioner Warren Hurst said "we got a queer running for president. If that ain't about as ugly as you can get."
Later, another commissioner confirmed to 10News, Hurst said "I'm not prejudiced, a white male in this country has very few rights and they're getting took more every day." Tina Storm is one of hundreds to tweet #BoycottSevierCounty.
"I don't know that I'll ever go back," she said. Storm lives in North Carolina and visits Gatlinburg twice a year with her daughter--or at least she used to. "A commissioner with those kinds of thoughts and opinions, it's not a place where I want to spend my money. Because it's the opposite of how I believe people should treat each other," Storm said.
Calls for a national boycott have business owners here worried.
"From a business standpoint, we are just recovering from the devastation of the 2016 fires," Vesna Plakanis, the co-owner of hiking tourism agency A Walk in the Woods, said. "We want our guests to understand that this does not represent us as a community, it does not represent us as a business."
10News reached out again Wednesday to Commissioner Hurst. He did not respond.
https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/sevier-co-businesses-worried-about-calls-for-boycott/51-7d6ec6ac-95fb-45b8-b012-b93b303337ff
If I were to vote in a presidentialprimary today, I would vote for: Undecided
3 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
Dolly Parton's sister! 
If I were to vote in a presidentialprimary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
If I were to vote in a presidentialprimary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
If I were to vote in a presidentialprimary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden