PORT ANGELES –– About 24 people gathered to remember black men killed by police during a vigil at the Conrad Dyar Memorial Fountain in Port Angeles.
With signs saying “Black Lives Matter,” the group decried the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile — who were shot and killed last week by police in Louisiana and Minnesota, respectively — and read the names of other black people killed in police confrontations.
“We want to remember these black men whose lives were taken unjustly and much too early,” said Teresa Shiraishi, an organizer of the vigil and member of the Port Angeles Racial Justice Collective, which sponsored the Monday evening vigil.
“We also mourn the many other black people murdered by police and stand in solidarity because black lives matter.”
Attendees stood in a circle and took turns reading the names of black people killed by police since Jan. 1.
It took the group almost 12 minutes to read the list of 140 names, which organizers got from The Guardian’s “The Counted” project, which tracks people who are killed by police in the U.S.
“In the last week alone, we have seen at least six senseless killings of people of color,” said Jessaca Ann, an organizer and member of the Port Angeles Racial Justice Collective.
“As we become more aware of who this happens to and why, I ask you where is the anger and what are we going to do about it?”
Ann called on those who attended to organize and make their voices heard.
“We’re a small town, but we’re part of the system and it affects every single one of us,” she said.
“It’s sickening to see white people stand by silently as every week in the news, we read about more killings of people of color.”
During a moment of silence for Sterling, a person driving through downtown Port Angeles yelled “all lives matter” toward the crowd.
Some walking past the vigil also told attendees “all lives matter.”
One woman told the crowd she has relatives of different ethnicities and she values all their lives equally.
“Even in our moment of silence now, I’m hearing people say ‘all lives matter,’ ” said Brenna Mack of Port Angeles.
“Yes, all lives matter, but that’s not why we’re here today.”
Mack said many people believe that when people say they support Black Lives Matter, they are putting down white lives — but that’s not the case, she said.
“All lives matter, but right now, we need to talk about the people of color,” she said.
“This town in particular needs to have that discussion because I’m seeing it all over Facebook; I’m seeing it as cars are driving by.”
Laura O’Neal of Port Angeles called for those in attendance to have compassion for people who say “all lives matter.”
“I don’t think that we need to have more division,” she said. “I think what we need to have is more discussions, conversations about what this means.”
She said people who say “all lives matter” don’t understand what “black lives matter” actually means.
“They don’t understand that really, ‘black lives matter’ means ‘black lives matter just as much,’ ” she said.
“They don’t understand that black men especially are being killed because they are black.”
The Port Angeles Racial Collective discusses racial and social issues both locally and nationally. For more information, email opracialjustice@gmail.com.
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.
