A day after a statue of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in Central Long Beach was graffitied with symbols often associated with White supremacy, residents, elected officials and pastors hosted a rally in Martin Luther King Jr. Park to advocate for peace.
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Mary Simmons, an organizer with community based group AOC7, co-hosted the event with Rocio Torres saying that something had to be done in response to an act that she described as heartbreaking.
“Our hearts were broken when we saw the posts on social media,” Simmons said. “We can stand by and do nothing, or we can stand up against it.”