Friday, July 31, at 6:00 PM
Location: Cable Bridge
Sponsored by Black Lives Matter Coalition: Tri-Cities
Recently the injustices and police misconduct of the nation found its way once again to one of our own residents of the Tri-Cities. Joe (Mike) Thornton is a local business owner, organizer of a big brother program here in the Tri, and is working on a documentary to highlight “good” cops. He was picking up food and headed home in Kennewick when he was surrounded by police cars and officers who then pulled out their weapons on him. In a case of mistaken identity Joe acted as slowly as possible in fear of losing his life. His car was searched without a warrant, his rights not read to him until he was cuffed and in custody and no one even bothered to ask his name until after he had been detained. Just like many others in our nation this could have EASILY ended in tragedy. For a man that was just bringing food to his family. We have been organizing and fighting injustices here in the Tri-Cities under the premise that systemic racism happens to all of us and police brutality could happen to ANY of us. It did this week.
Not only did this unfortunate event happen to an AMAZING and upstanding member of this community it happened it the same city that used to have a sign up saying that “Blacks were not allowed in after dark”. A sundown town.
This Friday evening we will be having a silent march for Big bro Joe. We will march from Pasco to Kennewick over the cable bridge in honor of every one of the Black lives that came before us who were not allowed to cross that bridge. We will march because it is apparent that Kennewick still has the remnants of being a sundown town. We will march because this city belongs to ALL of us and we will not wait until the tides turn in another situation like this. We will not wait for someone to die unjustly.
Please meet on the Pasco side of the bridge, if you would like to park on the Kennewick side and carpool back to Pasco that would also be greatly encouraged.
This is a peaceful protest.
We will be crossing the bridge in COMPLETE silence.
Please do not bring signs, we have very specific signs being made for this event.
Hope to see you there.