Greensburg family stands their ground for Black Lives Matter

Travis Spence knows a little something about policing, having served as an officer in California.

Still, Spence, along with his wife and kids, were the lone voices in protest in the immediate area as Vice President Mike Pence spoke to a crowd packed into a parking lot next to Greensburg City Hall on Thursday as part of a rally in support of the police community.

“I know it’s hard to be a police officer and I extend a lot of peace and strength to these officers. But, you still have to do the right things,” said Spence, 37, of Southwest Greensburg.

Spence, his wife, Kristen, and their children, Katienne, 13, Ksenia, 11, and Timo, 8, held up signs before and during the rally in protest of the Trump administration they say promotes misogyny, racism and a lack of empathy.

The Spences purchased the Main Street building several years ago. They rent apartments to local students and, in the future, want to open a community center there geared toward children.

Spence worked for a year as a police officer in Redondo Beach, Calif., and his wife served as clerk in the department for about a decade before moving to Pennsylvania. They said they support police officers but also fully endorse the Black Lives Matter movement.

“It’s not an either/or thing,” said Kristen Spence. “I just hope the vice president saw our signs. We want him to know that, even in a small Trump town like Greensburg, there are people who want change.”

The Spences, who were not part of the more than 400 people who attended Thursday’s rally, may have had the best views.

Pence’s motorcade stopped right in front of their building on Main Street and Spence’s vantage point afforded him the opportunity to see the vice president behind the podium, speaking to the crowd.

While most other observers were kept about a block away from rally, the Spences were allowed to stay put.

“We own the building so they can’t take us away from here,” said Travis Spence.