Spokane officials join together to denounce hate

The Spokane County Human Rights Task Force was joined by elected officials at the Spokane County Fairgrounds Tuesday to present a united front against hate in the community.

Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich, Spokane Mayor David Condon and Spokane County Commissioner Al French were among those who spoke. The task force planned the event to “stand united as a community and address the extremely concerning and recent local incidents that have caused fear to rise in our community and threatens to divide us,” according to a news release.

Spokane Councilwoman Amber Waldref referred the recent presidential election and the racial slur painted on the side of the Martin Luther King Jr. Family Outreach Center in her comments to the crowd. She urged people to stand up against hate and to model respect and acceptance for their children.

“My experience is that the basic instinct of a child is to be tolerant and open to all people,” she said.