NAACP Rochester announces Not in Our Town rally to condemn racist message near Century High

NAACP Rochester announces Not in Our Town rally to condemn racist message near Century High

The latest local, regional and national news events of the day are presented by the ABC 6 News Team, along with updated sports, weather and traffic.

(ABC 6 News) – On April 16, the NAACP of Rochester announced they will host a rally protesting the public display of a racial slur near Century High School.

The event will take place on Saturday, April 20 at 11 a.m. on the lawn area underneath the bridge over East Circle Drive at 26 Street Northeast.

On Sunday, April 14, a racial slur was spelled out using plastic cups on a pedestrian bridge near Century High School.

The NAACP called the display a hate crime, calling for its messenger to be held accountable for their actions.

“What happened should not have occurred. It’s not the first time we have seen this, but this is something that is so visible that we need to come up with a statement ‘not in our town’. We want our children to feel safe, we want our community members to feel safe and what got displayed what not just something that should be taken lightly,” Wale Elegbede with the NAACP said in a previous interview.

— RELATED: Public display of a racial slur sparks outrage in Rochester

Rochester Public Schools issued a statement condemning the racist message, saying in part, “hate language, in any form, has no place within our RPS community.”

According to a statement from the NAACP’s Facebook, the rally aims to send a message condemning racism in Rochester, especially statements which could make children feel unsafe.

The NAACP of Rochester invites community members to convene at the bridge to create positive messaging on the bridge, beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

In addition to Saturday’s rally, the NAACP Rochester Branch and Barbershop Talk of South Minnesota will host a town hall event on Wednesday, April 17 at Century High School to discuss racism in Rochester.

Panelists include Elegbede, Mayor Kim Norton, RPS Superintendent Dr. Kent Pekel and Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson.