As film debuts chronicling hate, Snohomish mayor plans rally
SNOHOMISH — Mayor John Kartak and his campaign staff are advertising a “family friendly rally” Saturday, the same day a documentary debuts about Black Lives Matter protests in Snohomish that were interrupted by dozens of armed vigilantes in 2020.
“What Happened on First Street,” a film by two recent college graduates who grew up in Snohomish, details how dozens of civilians carrying guns converged on the city’s historic downtown in response to a bogus threat falsely claiming to be from an anti-fascist group in May 2020. The film includes interviews with people of color who described their experiences living in Snohomish.
“A lot of us weren’t super surprised when we saw Proud Boys and Confederate flags being waved down on First Street,” filmmaker and Snohomish High School alumnus Drake Wilson told the Herald earlier this month.
Originally, the filmmakers planned to host a screening of their documentary at 6 p.m. at the Snohomish High School Performing Arts Center Saturday.
Kartak’s rally “United Snohomish,” slated for 4 to 6 p.m. at the Snohomish Sports Dome, is advertised as a time to “stand in solidarity, show support for Public Safety, Small Town Values, and the most wonderful community on earth.”
This week, Snohomish for Equity, one of the film screening’s sponsors, notified those registered for the in-person showing that it would be shifting to a fully virtual event due to COVID. The shift had been considered for about a week before the final decision, and Kartak announced his event in the meantime on social media, said Tabitha Baty, president of Snohomish for Equity.
“We decided the safety of the community is more important than having an in-person meeting,” Baty said.
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/as-film-debuts-chronicling-hate-snohomish-mayor-plans-rally/