A peaceful protest commemorating George Floyd and Black Lives Matter – with attendance estimated between 700–1,000 – happened in Burien on Saturday afternoon, June 6, 2020.

Organized by Burien For Black Lives/Burien Youth Council, the event started at Skateboard Park at 14549 4th Ave SW. A large gathering of mostly young protesters then chanted and held signs as they marched to Burien Town Square at City Hall, where a diverse group spoke to a large, peaceful crowd.

Most attendees were wearing face masks, but social distancing of 6-feet wasn’t always observed.

In attendance was the entire Burien City Council, and 34th District Sen. Joe Nguyen.

Speakers included youth and student leaders, Burien Mayor Jimmy Matta, as well as School Board member Aaron Garcia, who spoke about his proposal to break contract ties with local law enforcement for Highline Public Schools School Resource Officers.

Burien Police were on hand, helping with traffic and crowd control, and Police Chief Ted Boe was also seen.

Also in the crowd was local rap superstar Travis Thompson, who did not speak or perform.

We saw no disruptions, no looting, no use of tear gas/pepper spray or anything resembling close to a confrontation. It was a total, peaceful event organized by Burien youth leaders.

Scott Schaefer caught the last part of the protest and broadcast it live on our Facebook page (be sure to “Like” us here to get alerts for future live videos), and below is raw footage from that (running time 18:51):

Here’s another video courtesy Shelley Voie, shot from her condo balcony at Town Square:

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