“We can change things”: Spokane activists march before the trial of George Floyd

A group of protesters marched through downtown Spokane to show solidarity with victims of police brutality.

SPOKANE, Washington. – Sometime last summer, there were protests almost every day in response to the assassination of George Floyd.

Several events took place in Spokane with thousands of people marching downtown.

The message they pressed continued in the pavilion this afternoon.

“To be able to speak your name, it increases the power,” said Angel Tomeo Sam at the Spokane Bail Project. “It not only pulls down the moment they were lost, but everything they were and what they could have been.”

Today’s march was meant to show solidarity with victims of police brutality. The group with local activists and Spokane natives started in Riverfront Park.

Several speakers came forward as protesters made pit stops at various locations along their route.

“I use my voice because I think we can change Spokane,” said Lacrecia Hill, president of the Spectrum LGBTQIA2 + Center.

“I think Spokane has the capacity and the resources to change the way we respond to the people in our community,” Hill continued.

As the George Floyd Trial approaches, many protesters believe this is no time to shut up.

The last stop in March was the Black Lives Matter mural. A project that arose due to the events of the past year.

Local artists involved in its creation were present and given the opportunity to reflect on its importance.

“That’s the power of art,” shared Sarah Torres, an artist and student who worked on the mural. “It visually and physically gives hope and fuel to a community.

Since the rise, the mural has been a target of vandalism, but for artists like Sarah Torres the message this project embodies is love and hope for the future.