200 protesters face off outside Kennewick police station
About 100 Black Lives Matter protesters faced off Saturday afternoon with a similar size group rallying in support of law enforcement in front of the Kennewick Police Department.
The rally for law enforcement called Back the Blue was organized earlier in the week and then called off because of threats, but supporters on both sides still showed up outside Kennewick City Hall on Sixth Avenue.
People in support of police yelled chants of “All Lives Matter” and “Blue Lives Matter,” and called the Black Lives Matter protesters racists and insulted them when they took a knee.
On the other side, Brandon Jones led the crowd in chants of “Black Lives Matter” and “No Justice, No Peace” and urged his protesters to keep calm.
There were a few tense moments, where people stood toe to toe, but the two sides stayed mostly peaceful.
Across the river in Pasco, a crowd of about 100 gathered in Kurtzman Park in Pasco on Saturday to celebrate Juneteenth and the end of slavery in the U.S.
The event organized by Black Lives Matters Tri-Cities included speeches, painting, dancing, poetry and more.
Joel Nunn-Sparks, a mixed media artist, said they wanted to hold a Juneteenth celebration at Kurtzman Park.
“The overarching idea of Black Lives Matter is still prevalent,” he said. “We felt it was super important to take a break from yelling and screaming ‘Black Lives Matter.’ In the time period being June 19, we wanted to step back and let’s showcase.”
Pasco’s traditional Juneteenth celebration was canceled because of COVID-19, but members of the committee threw their support behind the Saturday event.
The event brought performers from across the Tri-Cities including poet Jordan Chaney, and it brought some back to the the area, such as Richland native Marquise Green. The Seattle-based rapper better known as Nobi just released a new album about growing up as a Black man.
“I came out here to share that knowledge, and I just wanted to be around my family, and Juneteenth is just a really important day for my family,” he said.
This story was originally published June 20, 2020 at 1:55 PM.