 In response to the events in Charlottesville, Virginia, residents in Brainerd gathered to stand against hate. Nearly 200 people filled the corners of 6th and Washington Street with signs promoting peace. Organizers wanted to keep the gathering civil and free from politics in order to best portray their message. The event was put on by several local groups who hope this will be a small step to bring about big change. In this area a lot of us can feel really isolated if we're into social justice issues, you know, and so to see all these people come out, you know, we're hoping it's a it's a good way to show the other people in the community that, hey, there are other people here that also want to support diversity and want to help with that effort. So it's it's exciting. Many participants were shocked by how much support they were receiving from cars that were driving by. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland news, please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.