July 30, 2025 – Haywood County, NCA confrontation between a Black truck driver and a group of white men at a private dump site near Clyde, North Carolina, has sparked public outrage after a video of the incident went viral. One of the men involved has been identified as a part-time Haywood County sheriff’s deputy, now under investigation by the department.
Among the group is Michael Buckner, a part-time sheriff’s deputy and safety manager at a nearby construction company. Buckner is seen ordering the driver to get back into his truck, raising questions about his role in escalating the situation and whether he was acting in an official capacity.
According to the driver, he arrived at the site early in the morning and was told to wait. The conflict allegedly began when the property owner’s son falsely accused him of theft. Despite being cleared to dump his load, the driver said he was ambushed as he tried to leave. The video cuts off as tensions reach a peak, and the driver later removed the original clips for his safety. However, the footage has already been widely shared across social media.
This incident comes at a time of growing racial tension across the country. Since Donald Trump first took office, many communities have seen an increase in racially charged confrontations, open displays of hate, and emboldened behavior from individuals who feel empowered to target people of color without consequence. Critics argue that the former president’s rhetoric and refusal to denounce white supremacy contributed to a surge in overt racism, especially in rural and historically conservative regions.
Just days before the Clyde incident, a video surfaced online showing Cheryl Ann Pyles and Steven Wiley — both white — taunting and using racial slurs against a black salesman in the neighborhood. The video, captured by the victim, shows them hurling threats and degrading comments as he left their front porch. The video shocked viewers but was unfortunately not surprising to many people of color, who say this kind of behavior has become increasingly common and openly accepted in some communities.
And earlier this month, a racially charged brawl erupted in Downtown Cincinnati when a white man aggressively approached a group of Black men near the banks. The confrontation escalated, and while mainstream media framed the Black men as the aggressors, witnesses and unedited footage clearly showed that the white man initiated the violence. The racial double standard in media coverage further deepened frustration among many who feel that Black people are disproportionately demonized, even when they act in self-defense.
The Haywood County confrontation fits into this disturbing pattern — a lone Black man outnumbered, isolated, and harassed by white men in a space where they hold economic and physical power. Many who watched the video saw not just an individual dispute but a reminder of the racial intimidation that has plagued this country for centuries and continues today in new forms.
Community leaders and civil rights advocates are now calling for transparency from Haywood County officials. They are demanding answers: Was Buckner acting as a law enforcement officer or simply using his badge as a tool of intimidation? Why were no immediate charges filed against the men who used heavy equipment to forcibly block and endanger a working driver? Would this have happened if the driver were white?
The sheriff’s office has stated that an internal investigation is underway. Meanwhile, the company that owns the dump site claims the video misrepresents the situation and accuses the driver of violating safety policies — a response that many online have condemned as a weak attempt at deflection.
The man behind the video has reportedly retained legal counsel and may pursue charges. For many viewers, however, the damage is already done — the incident has become another painful reminder that in America, simply doing your job while Black can still be met with threats, aggression, and the weight of institutional power pressing down.