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Peaceful Tacoma protest led by 2 teens punctuated by civil unrest

Two Tacoma high-schoolers spearheaded an overwhelmingly peaceful protest; hours later, a small group of vandals broke the windows of a handful of businesses.

TACOMA, Wash. — The organizers behind an overwhelmingly peaceful demonstration against police brutality in Tacoma’s Wright Park was the work of two high school classmates at Tacoma School of the Arts. 

The protest attracted hundreds of protesters and included speakers, marching, and several “die-ins,” in which protesters lay blocking sidewalks or intersections to mark the death of George Floyd.

“The turnout was way better than I would’ve imagined and it kind of turned into the people’s protest,” said the lead organizer, 15-year-old Olivia Borcherding, who will be a sophomore at Tacoma School of the Arts in the fall. Her friend and fellow organizer, 17-year-old Kennedy Wilcox, will be a senior in the fall.

“Seeing that many people really opened my eyes and showed me how much people cared,” said Wilcox. Both Borcherding and Wilcox remained anonymous in the lead-up to the protest, hoping to center the message rather than themselves.

Hours after the protest, video showed what appeared to be a small group of rogue vandals shattering the window of Bellevue Gold Coin in Tacoma. The windows of a handful of businesses on Pacific Avenue were also shattered and later boarded up.

In a statement, Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards said in part: "We need more allies. We need more peaceful demonstration and expression of what we believe to be just. We need to join together in saying that enough is enough and then take action to back those words."

Borcherding and Wilcox said they understand the anger some people are feeling.

“I’m not going to condone it,” Borcherding said. “but I’m not going to say it’s wrong.”

Wilcox said she has plans to run for her school’s Black Student Union. Borcherding said she is considering how to move forward with another, more inclusive protest that will involve grassroots community activists.

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