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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
September 10, 2020     Shelton Mason County Journal
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September 10, 2020
 
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l ! i l Milenmgwonflionma MASON COUNTY, THUF ‘l T v ’ , ‘,._,r.._.,_ SINCE 1886 VOL. 134, NO. 37 Hundreds can on streets of Shelton iéJéSr’dan Weeks gordon@masoncounty._ com Hundreds of supporters of Black Lives Matter and Back the Blue demonstrated in adjoining ral- lies Sunday in downtown Shelton, with the two groups at one point shouting face to face in front of the Mason County Courthouse before police and sheriffs deputies carrying rifles stepped between them. ’ No injuries or arrests were reported, despite concerns about violence that led several downtown business owners to board up their windows. The Back the Blue demonstrators were sched- uled to rally in support of law officers at 2 pm. at the intersection of First Street and West Rail- road Avenue, but they arrived early and spread out across five blocks to Evergreen Square at Fifth Street and Railroad. Many carried rifles and hand- guns. . v “We’re not here for peaceful protesters,” said Shelton resident Dee Kay, one of the organizers. “We’re here for agitators with bad intentions.” “We’re not worried about the in-town protesters, we’re worried about out-of-towners” from Olympia and Seattle, he said. . Kay said the rally’s participants are not white supremacists. “None of us are here to start trouble We’re just here to make sure nothing happens,” he said. “I hope everybody stays calm,” said George Blush, the owner of Nita’s Kofi'ee Shop on West Railroad Avenue, who gathered with the Back the Blue group. “I don’t carry a gun. I just hope every- TOP: Carrying a U.S. flag, a ’marcher walks down Franklin Street in Shelton on Sunday afternoon. Hundreds of people in Black Lives Matter and Back~the Blue rallies converged on the streets of downtown Shelton. ABOVE: A Back the Blue marcher carries a flag signifying the thin blue line in support of police. See more photos Of the marches on pages A-12 and A-13. Journal photos ‘ by Shawna Whe/an lllll'!"ll‘!l"'!'ll'ulllll'l‘llllllmllnil “W WCMRT LOW 095- SMALL TOMPAPERS 927 w RAlLROAD AVE . . HELTON WA, 98584-3847 body stays safe There’s been too much fighting.” Blush added, “I want peace. I want calm. I don’t want to see anyone hurt.” - The Black Lives Matter demonstrators gathered a block away at Post Office Park. By 1:30 p.m., a half hour before the scheduled event, only 18 people had arrived; that number would increase to about 100 before they left the park and other supporters then joined them as they marched through down- town. . “I’m a little bit worried about the hate, and peo- ple threatening,” said Shelton resident Gwendolyn Burlette. “That’s scary. But that makes me want to be here.” Burlette added, “We’re not here to harm, or dam- age any businesses I hope they’re there to sup— port their cause, like we are.” ' Sheltonresident Katherine Price said she was inspired to attend after hearing George Floyd call out for his mother while a Minneapolis police officer was killing him. She wasn’t sure whether the group would leave the park to march. “We’ve got rednecks all around us,” Price said. “I think it would be too proVocative.” The Black Lives Matter demonstrators left Post Office Park heading north, away from the other demonstration. But the Back the Blue demonstra- tors followed them, many waving American flags. Unlike the Black Lives Matter demonstrators, most of them did not wear face masks. They shouted, “Go back to Seattle!” and “Get a job!” . Black Lives Matter organizers used megaphones to instruct the marchers. ' “Do not engage!” “Do not engage with racists!” “Stay together, stay cool!” ” They chanted, “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA!” see PROTEST, page A-11 W lllllllllj [ll 8 5326 O 111"2 Four school diStricts avoid layoffs ' Page A—2 Page A—27 Count is on: Summer chum return to Union River Allyn baseball player shines on big stage Page A-38 “LY -