SALISBURY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – In November of 2022, Angel Pittman was one step closer to realizing her dream.

“I own three buses,” said Pittman. “And what I was trying to do with them, I was trying to get a tiny home out of one of them and then use two of them to create my salon.

With her parents’ help, she bought a property in Salisbury to park the old school buses. Angel Pittman went to check on the buses at the property. She also wanted to record a YouTube video to show people her vision.

“I cried for a week and a half about the situation,” said Pittman when she saw the buses. “When I look at the videos that I post, I still kind of tear up a little bit. The fact that I’m even able to talk about this right now is making me tear up. I’m trying my best to hold it in.”

Racial slurs were spray painted on the buses, derogatory names were, and busted out windows. Pittman says it’s a reminder hate still exists in the real world.

“The words that were on there kind of stabbed me in my heart because I was like, that’s not me,” said Pittman. “Those words don’t define me, so why are you writing them on my stuff.”  

The buses have been moved off the property, and Pittman has set up shop in south Charlotte. There is a wall in here shop that clients leave messages on. She says the wall inspires her because instead of seeing all those words of hate, she gets to see words of love every day.

Angel had to drive the buses off the property and says it was emotional as a black woman driving with those slurs on the bus.

And for each hateful word, support for her has been 100 times better.

“They were giving me words of encouragement and telling me to keep your head up; you’re going to get through this.”

An incident report was filed with the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office. A spokesperson says the vandalism was investigated, but there was no video or witnesses to the crime.

For now, the case has been closed unless new information becomes available.

Angel Pittman says this is not how her story ends: “I was ready for my tiny house and my salon to be beside my tiny house. I was super excited. I’m still excited, but it’s going to have to go another way.”