The events that transpired during the weekend of Aug. 12-13 in Charlottesville, Virginia, should serve as a wake up call and a call to action for us all.

For many months, I have felt the signs of racial tension moving into our community. I have witnessed a handful of vehicles, driven boldly on our roads, with the Confederate flag waving unapologetically off the back.

I have been sickened by headlines of hate crimes on the rise in cities and towns across our state and the nation. As a proud American, lifelong Washingtonian and a resident of Bonney Lake, I am appalled by the twisted ideology being spread by the alt-right — and by association, the sitting president.

I am here to denounce hate and bigotry in our community, and beyond — and I encourage my neighbors to do the same. Hate has no home in Bonney Lake and its surrounding communities.

Roslyn Shipp

Bonney Lake