SPOKANE, Wash. — A local community activist hosted an event in Spokane's Riverfront Park allowing youth to freely speak up about their feelings regarding recent events.
Looting and vandalism in downtown Spokane followed protests against an officer killing George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Youth activist Kitara Johnson said some parents were wondering how to talk to their children about recent events.
Johnson said she’d also heard some young adults were involved in attempts to loot businesses in Downtown Spokane.
“We can’t let the message that black lives matter get lost in negativity,” she said. “We’re not going to let our kids be pushed around the street to be manipulated.”
Johnson said she decided to host the event to give children, teens and young adults a way to talk about how they were feeling and to encourage them toward productive actions.
“We want to give the youth a voice. We’re just giving them an open mic, and we’re going to listen to them and love them,” Johnson said.
Supporters of the event brought masks for participants to practice social distancing, and others donated pizza.