South King County leaders will have a Community Unity Rally from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 11, at Kent Lutheran Church, 336 Second Ave. S., in response to recent crimes, including the shooting and injury of a Sikh man on March 3 in Kent.
“South King County will not tolerate hate, discrimination or harassment of our neighbors, family or friends,” according to a media release about the rally organized by Bailey Stober and Satwinder Kaur. “This is not a political event. This is a unity event to stand together and celebrate the strength in our diversity. We are stronger together and we invite you to stand with your neighbors, friends and family to show our strength.”
Leaders expected to attend the rally include Kent City Council members Dana Ralph and Dennis Higgins, Kent Police Chief Ken Thomas, Kent School Board members Russ Hanscom and Karen DeBruler, Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus, Des Moines City Councilman Dave Kaplan, Federal Way School Board member Claire Wilson, Tukwila School Board member Mary Fertakis, Kent City Council candidates Satwinder Kaur and Toni Troutner, Pastor Jane Prestbye of Kent Lutheran and Rev. Leslie Braxton of New Beginnings Christian Fellowship, according to Stober.
The point of this event is to emphasize unity and come together as neighbors, Stober said in the release. This will not be a political or religious event used to further divide a fractured community. Everyone is welcome.
Kaur, representing East Indian Connection, had initially looked to doing a separate rally but then joined forces with Stober to do one rally.
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