Press release from the Canary Coalition:
Last Saturday night, Aug. 26, 60 people joined members of the Jackson County Branch of the NAACP in a silent, candlelight vigil at the fountain near the bottom of the Old Courthouse Steps on Main Street, in Sylva. Their message was “Love, Not Hate.”
The group was acting in response to the recent events in Charlottesville, Va., and other parts of the country in which white supremacists marched with guns, shields, torches and signs with racial hatred slogans. In Charlottesville, peaceful, unarmed counterprotesters were attacked and beaten as one white nationalist drove his car through a crowd, killing one and injuring 19 others.
The Sylva Police and members of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department were present on Saturday night to ensure a peaceful demonstration. There were no confrontational incidents.
The vigil lasted for 45 minutes as the crowd withstood a heavy downpour of rain. Most candles were kept lit and participants were kept dry with the use of umbrellas, although not everyone was prepared for the rain. Some solemnly stood to the end, unprotected, although their clothes became drenched. It was a remarkable and powerful display of determination to reverse the divisiveness that has surfaced in recent months in our country.
A video of the event can be viewed here.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.