JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Activists who organized protests for justice for Ahmaud Arbery, who was shot and killed in a Georgia neighborhood in February, organized an event to unite the community Saturday.
According to the organizer, Travis Riddle, the event, called United Front, was a way to give children something positive to turn to before school starts.
The event was held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at a park in Brunswick. It had food trucks, music and bounce houses. Riddle said the event also called for an end to violence overall in Glynn County.
He said they honored the life of Kendrea Bacon, who police said was shot and killed early last Saturday morning. Riddle said the community came together after Arbery's death. Three white men are charged with killing Arbery, a Black man. The shooting sparked outrage across the country, with many believing it to be racially motivated.
Riddle urged people to put the guns down and stop violence overall.
“I think a lot of it was because somebody of a different race brought mark to the Ahmaud Arbery incident, but we are more so focused on the hurt we bring to our own community when Black people are killing Black people. Black lives matter no matter who takes a life," Riddle said.
