Vernon anti-racism protest a quiet affair

The sound of traffic pretty much drowned out the sound of the dozen protestors who gathered today, June 5, at the entrance to Vernon's Polson Park to protest against racism and stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

The scene was a far cry from a rally held in Kelowna this afternoon that saw hundreds of people attend.

In Vernon at 3:30 p.m. just 12 protestors had joined the rally.

Seventeen-year-old Zada Varney said she organized the rally along with friend, Celine Galbraith. Varney said she represented no group or organization, but had posted about the protest on social media two days earlier.

"It not fair for us to live in a society where we don't have to fear for our lives every day," Varney told iNFOnews.ca. "Where somebody with a different colour of skin has to stand there and think is this going to be my last day."

Varney couldn't answer why there were no people of colour in the event but said racism was everywhere.

"Even though we won't understand we're going to try to understand," she said.

The teenager didn't seem too disappointed with the turn-out.

"We have people and people is what makes change," she said.

The organizer was unaware of media coverage of the event. Castanet reported shortly after 3 p.m. that the rally had been cancelled and that activist group Earthstrike Vernon had pulled out of supporting the event.

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