Photo by Karen S. Carter - A group of marchers with their chosen signs getting ready to participate in the Silent March.
Last Friday afternoon, June 12, many residents and visitors gathered at the skatepark in the 8th Street Park in Raymond. People were signing up to participate in a Silent March starting at 1:00 p.m. This event's goal was to spread awareness of racism and other problems spreading throughout the United States.
The March route took walkers along Hwy 101 to the courthouse in South Bend. The local police departments approved the route and even escorted the marchers along Hwy 101 to help keep them safe from traffic. All participants were encouraged to be respectful of traffic, to wear masks and try to keep social distancing rules in mind.
"Our local police are valued by many who joined the Silent March," said one of the organizers Ravenel Staricka on the Silent March Facebook page. "What this march was about is racial solidarity."
Many people who could not march followed in a car caravan and parked along the route at designated locations. Others sat or stood with signs at the corners of Hwy 101 and Fowlers St. in Raymond.
"Thank you to all who joined the Silent March," wrote Staricka on Facebook. "To all those who showed up to march, sit, stand or caravan. To all those who were too busy but made a point to do their part, and have some deep conversations about racism and hate in America. To all of our local police departments for working together to keep us safe as we exercise our right to peacefully assemble."