Gladstone residents showed up in force Friday, June 5, to march in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and protest the deaths of both Breonna Taylor and George Floyd — two black Americans killed at the hands of police in recent weeks.

Protesters gathered in Max Patterson Park next to John Wetten Elementary where organizer Sumin Wolfe is an employee. Being the only black woman employed by the school, she decided to take the initiative to organize a demonstration so that she and her neighbors could make their voices heard and spread the message to end police violence in their own community. Nearly 160 people came out — including Mayor Tammy Stempel and City Councilor Matt Tracy — to march from the park over to McLoughlin Boulevard where they chanted and held signs for passers by to see.

The peaceful protest was overwhelmingly positive with only one heated exchange between a distrguntled driver, which Tracy was able to quell quickly on behalf of citizens and demonstrators.