GRAND JUNCTION, CO – Right & Wrong, the local civil rights advocacy group recently formed in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, will be hosting a violin vigil tomorrow to honor the memories of Elijah McClain and Jayne Thompson. McClain, 23, was a massage therapist who died at the hands of police officers in Aurora, CO, last summer. Jayne Thompson, 33, was a transgender woman from Arizona who was shot and killed by a Colorado State Patrol officer on May 9 near Highway 50 and 29 Road.
The vigil will be held at the Department of Motor Vehicles office on 200 S. Spruce St. in Grand Junction on Monday. RAW chose the location because Governor Jared Polis, who will be traveling to the Western Slope this week to sign some bills, is expected to be there at around that time.
RAW leaders encourage as many community residents and supporters to join them and, if they can play, to bring their violins. They also remind everyone to wear masks.
In a statement provided to the Free Press over Facebook, RAW co-founder Antonio Clark said, “We just wanna let Governor Polis know that the murder of Elijah McClain and failure to charge his killers isn’t just an Aurora problem. We would also like to have a sit-down with with him to discuss things pertaining to everything going on in the state right now.”
For more information about the vigil, visit the Facebook event announcement page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1585018704985922
For more information about RAW, visit their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/rightandwronggj
Categories: activism, Black Lives Matter, Events, Local Organizations, Mesa County, racial justice, social justice