Black Lives Matter group Blackformation plans Tri-Cities protest against Fourth of July holiday
Black Lives Matters demonstrators plan a Fourth of July protest at John Dam Plaza in Richland.
The group Blackformation is taking a stand against celebrating the Fourth of July as a symbol of American independence, pointing out that slaves weren’t freed until June 19, 1865.
After taking a week off, protesters are gathering in the park along George Washington Way from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday as they also continue to stand against racism and police brutality. They plan to meet near the HAPO Community Stage.
“We are visible. We will not tolerate being threatened,” according to the Facebook post promoting the event. “We will stand tall with our ‘little signs’ against racism and declare until Black lives matter we can’t really celebrate the reality that freedom is designated to a select few.”
The protest is being organized by a newly formed group, Blackformation, headed by local BLM organizer Eugene Vi.
This story was originally published July 2, 2020 at 11:21 AM.