Tempers flared briefly at times in downtown Lewiston afterward, but peace was the rule at a rally of an estimated 1,000 supporters of Black Lives Matters in Kiwanis Park today.
Organizers spoke, then the group briefly took to the levee for a march to the Blue Bridge and back to the park, following the gathering at 11 a.m.
During that time, armed men and women gathered in Brackenbury Square and fanned out across downtown Lewiston with the stated intent of protecting people and businesses should violence erupt. The Protect Lewiston group stationed members on foot at street corners; others drove up and down Main Street.
A woman who attended the Black Lives Matter rally and took her protest to the front of the Nez Perce County Courthouse around 2 p.m. yelled at armed citizens who formed a half-circle around her, as police looked on. Heather Rogers of Defend Lewiston said the goal of the armed individuals with her was to protect all sides, including protesters.
Shouting matches broke out several times, and passers-by yelled from across the street and from passing vehicles before the two dozen or so people gathered there dispersed.
