"Let me speak plainly, there has been a scent of racism in the air."
Those are words, published the Grand Island Town Supervisor Nate McMurray in an open letter to Islanders about the tone of concerns he's received from residents regarding the Gus Macker Basketball Tournament. The tournament is set to be played again on the Island June 4th and 5th.
"There was a few complaints a very few limited complaints," said McMurray. "Because of the history in our country, you have to be defensive when these issues come up."
McMurray wants to be clear--most of the complaints about the Island hosting the tournament again had nothing to do with racism. He says some people are concerned about parking issues, road closures and traffic. Although, he says when racist words were brought up by neighbors, McMurray felt the issue needed to be addressed.
"Because we are such a diverse town, I thought it would be fair to say that any hint of that would not be tolerated," McMurray said.
Registration is now online for this year's tournament.
