Group protests Monroe church where pastor made comments on rape
UNION COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — They were words that sparked a lot of controversy online and they came from a Union County pastor in a video from a couple of months ago saying that he would not convict a rapist if the woman was dressed inappropriately.
The Monroe pastor has since apologized, but for some, that apology isn’t enough.
A different kind of congregation gathered outside Bible Baptist Tabernacle Church on Sunday morning. Groups of protesters walked the sidewalk before the day of services.
“We want to make sure the children here are safe, the women are safe,” one protester said.
The outrage is in response to a video from August of last year, which only recently gained traction online of Pastor Bobby Leonard’s comments about women wearing shorts in public.
“You ready? I said if you dress like that and you get raped and I’m on the jury, you’re gonna go free,” he is seen saying in the video.
Another protester said that,”It was devastating because what he was doing was condoning rape.”
PREVIOUS: Monroe pastor apologizes for saying women wearing shorts welcome rape
Demonstrators vowed to protest every service until they get more than the apology posted on the church’s marquee and while they stand together on the same Union County road, various groups of protesters have different goals.
“I will be out here as long as it takes for him to step down, period,” one woman said.
“I don’t want to see him off the pulpit, he loves preachin’, it’s his heart, I mean, he loves it,” one man, who is a former member of the church and has known the pastor since he was a child, told Queen City News. “All we’re asking for is a public apology. It’s affecting families.”
Others are hoping to use the attention the church is getting from Leonard’s comments to bring awareness to the school choice debate. Leonard established the Tabernacle Christian School in 1970. According to state data last year alone, the school collected nearly $1 million in vouchers.
“Where’s that money going?” one woman wondered. “This is the message, you know, that’s being brought to the children of this church and the school?”
Queen City News reached out to church staff on Sunday but did not hear back.
Protestors said they hoped the pastor would deliver an apology before delivering another sermon. “He may be sorry, but he still believes in what he said and that is unacceptable,” another protested said over the weekend.
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