A group of organizers has come together to hold a peaceful protest and rally in Cranbrook in response to systemic racism and oppression, standing with millions of others around the globe.
Not specifically a protest for the Black Lives Matter movement, the rally is for those impacted by racism and oppression in society.
“This is mostly to spread awareness on racism and oppression around the globe, not just in Cranbrook itself,” Jonte Hurlock told MyEastKootenayNow.com, who is helping organize the Cranbrook Stand in Solidarity rally. “Hopefully that can bring some sort of change to people, realizing that there’s certain things we can do together as a community to change these forms of oppression.”
Hurlock said they will have speakers from different backgrounds and races to share their stories and experiences. Some of the participants will speak on behalf of people of colour, the LBGTQ, and First Nations communities.
“We’ll be talking about the changes that need to be done and what we can do together as a people to put the world in a much better place for everyone,” said Hurlock.
The Cranbrook Stand in Solidarity event will be held between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm at the Cranbrook clocktower downtown. Hurlock said volunteers can come by at 3:00 pm to help set up and organize chairs and tables for the peaceful protest.
“It’s going to be a beautiful turnout, we’re going to be very peaceful. We’re not going to have any rioting or it be violent,” said Hurlock, who was also aware of the situation with COVID-19. “We’re going to be social distancing as well because if the group gets too big then we might break off and go back to Rotary Park and have two different groups there so that we can preserve social distancing because there is still a pandemic, we can’t really forget about that.”
Participants are asked to bring a mask and strictly respect social distancing.
Local businesses were contacted to participate by the organizers, as well as on-duty and off-duty members of the RCMP, and First Nations elders.
Hurlock said they will be going live on Facebook to share the message and protest over social media for those that may not want to attend in person.
MORE: Cranbrook Stands in Solidarity (Facebook Event)