‘Back the Blue’ rally in Kennewick canceled, counter-protest still scheduled
A rally aimed at supporting the police has been canceled making the future of a counter-protest unclear.
Michelle Mercer, the organizer of the Back the Blue rally said people coming had received credible threats.
“Our first priority is ensuring everyone’s safety,” she said on Facebook. “We believe we can still get our message of appreciation and gratitude out to the Kennewick Police Department.”
This came as after members from Black Lives Matter Tri-Cities called on people to show up at the Kennewick Police Station at noon Saturday as a counter to Mercer’s rally.
Some Tri-Cities demonstrators have been asking for a series of changes including cutting police budgets in half, increasing funding for social services and banning militias.
Mercer and her father Mike Beauchamp made public plans for their event Tuesday, but they said they have been organizing it for a couple of weeks.
Mercer told the Herald that her event was not intended to take anything away from the concerns raised by the Black Lives Matter protesters.
Hundreds of Tri-Citians have joined in organized demonstrations for three weeks after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
On Saturday, the protesters also planned to take part in a Juneteenth celebration at Kurtzman Park in Pasco.
They’ve also created a new nonprofit called Accountability, Restorative Justice and Liberation Tri-Cities. A GoFundMe campaign is raising money for buying supplies, training demonstrators, paying legal fees and more.
This story was originally published June 19, 2020 at 11:03 AM.