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Salmon Arm demonstrators show unity with Black Lives Matter movement

Participants speak out against systemic racism and targeting of vulnerable populations

Enough is enough.

This was a shared feeling among Salmon Arm residents taking part in a peaceful demonstration support of the Black Lives Matter movement along Highway 1 on Thursday, June 4.

The Salmon Arm demonstrators added their voices to chorus of protest that has risen world over in response to the killing of Minneapolis resident George Floyd by police officers.

Demonstrator Melissa Currie took part in the demonstration to speak out against the systemic racism.

“It feels like every week there’s a new name to add to the list of black people who have been murdered due to the colour of their skin and I’m here to be a part of that change,” said Currie.

Fellow demonstrators Taigan Radomske and Kairo Mair stressed racism is not just a problem south of the border.

Read more: ‘We either make a difference or we don’t’: Revelstoke teen leads protest in support of BLM

Read more: ‘It’s about equality’ says South Okanagan man rallying for Black Lives Matter

Read more: Salmon Arm to hold two peaceful protests in solidarity with Black Lives Matter

“Canada is not exempt from the racism that exists in America because we’re also on stolen land here,” said Mair.

Rory Baldwin views the ongoing targeting of vulnerable populations in the U.S. and Canada as a human rights crisis that cannot be ignored. He said the local protest was a way of highlighting that we need to do better as a society.

“I think it’s time we make positive systemic changes so everybody in our society can flourish and benefit…,” said Baldwin. “Personally, I just don’t understand how somebody can write another person off or treat somebody more poorly simply based on something that is so irrelevant as skin colour.”

Many of those attending the Thursday demonstration wore masks, while attempting to maintain physical distance from others involved. An employee with the Bank of Montreal offered masks to demonstrators nearby who came without.

A second demonstration is scheduled to take place on the highway at Alexander Street at noon on Saturday, June 6.

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Taigan Radomske and Kairo Mair carry signs explaining how privilege can shield you from the experience of racism faced by others during the downtown Salmon Arm demonstration along Highway 1 on Thursday, June 4, 2020. (Lachlan Labere-Salmon Arm Observer)
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Demonstration participants shout out to supportive drivers honking their horns in downtown Salmon Arm along Highway 1 on Thursday, June 4, 2020. (Lachlan Labere-Salmon Arm Observer)
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Melissa Currie shows her support of the Black Lives Matter movement during a demonstration along Highway 1 in downtown Salmon Arm on Thursday, June 4, 2020. (Lachlan Labere-Salmon Arm Observer)
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Demonstrators show their support for the Black Lives Movement and vulnerable populations during the downtown Salmon Arm demonstration along Highway 1 on Thursday, June 4, 2020. (Lachlan Labere-Salmon Arm Observer)
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Demonstrators show their support for the Black Lives Movement and vulnerable populations during the downtown Salmon Arm demonstration along Highway 1 on Thursday, June 4, 2020. (Lachlan Labere-Salmon Arm Observer) Demonstrators show their support for the Black Lives Movement and vulnerable populations during the downtown Salmon Arm demonstration along Highway 1 on Thursday, June 4, 2020. (Lachlan Labere-Salmon Arm Observer)