Pride Parade draws thousands to downtown Spokane
SPOKANE, Wash. — Skies were grey but the streets of downtown were full of color during Saturday’s Pride Parade.
Spokane joined hundreds of other cities across America — 50 years after the Stonewall Riots in New York. It marked a turning point for the gay rights movement. While some people are still fighting for acceptance today, there was still a lot to celebrate.
“Love conquers and love grows and people want to be happy,” said Jeff Davis. “And this was a happy day.”
It’s unclear exactly how many people attended Saturday’s parade but several supporters and Spokane Police officers told KXLY it was the largest crowd since Spokane’s first Pride Parade in 1992.
We’ve seen multiple churches marching in the #Spokane #Pride parade. #KXLY pic.twitter.com/GBR5Ts4QPl
— Kyle Simchuk (@KyleKXLY) June 8, 2019
“I went a couple years ago, it was about 15 minutes,” Davis said. Saturday’s parade lasted approximately an hour.
“We make it a tradition every year so that our children grow up knowing this community and being able to spread that message of love to their friends at school,” said Sommer Kraft-Purvis, who brought her young daughter to the parade.
Out Spokane, the local group which helped organize the event said it will continue the legacy of marching around downtown in memory of those who have fought for LGBTQ rights and to celebrate “the beauty of their future.”
KXLY reporters did not observe any groups protesting the event. A Spokane Police officer said despite the record crowd, there were no issues or security problems during the parade.
Get the day’s news and look ahead to tomorrow by signing up for the Daily Local email newsletter from KXLY4. Headlines, events, and staff picks every weeknight at 8 p.m. Sign up HERE to get your news on the D.L.
COPYRIGHT 2023 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
