Photo shoot in Judkins Park captures the young Black Lives Matter movement
SEATTLE – A photo shoot inspired out of the violence Thursday night in Dallas took place in Judkins Park on Saturday afternoon. A small group gathered, dressed in black, to take photos of solidarity. A silent photo, said the organizer Deeanthony, which he hopes will send a simple message of unity. “I wanted to make a stand say something silently though,” said Deeanthony, who chose not to give his last name. Deeanthony said he wants Seattle and the world to see a different side of the the Black Lives Matter movement than the one portrayed on Thursday. “When you do protests like that they get dangerous they get out of hand and then it’s a battle of opinion instead of the fact of the matter,” he said. Deeanthony said the fact of the matter is lives are being lost, across the country and across races. “It’s getting worse and it’s getting more visual so let’s use visions to get it out there.” He said seeing the video of Philando Castile die is what gave him the idea for Saturday’s photoshoot. Majority of the people were young adults just like him, except for one – Bishop Ray Rogers of Rose Prayer Christian Ministry. Rogers told Q13 it’s young adults he’s hoping to unite. “They’re saying we have a voice; we are tired; we’re hurting; these are all great images that often we don’t get to see,” he said. Statistically, Rogers said it’s those young adults who get lost and go unheard. He said it’s his job as a leader in Seattle’s black community to listen to what they have to say. “We have to come to a point universally where we can speak volume rather than create volume,” he said. It all goes back to the photos taken on Saturday, which Deeanthony is hoping will capture the nation with a message that Black lives matter everywhere. “We don’t even have to say anything. It speaks for itself.”