Gathering at Platte County Courthouse
Around 80 people turned out for a “Unity and Diversity Celebration” at the Platte County Courthouse in Platte City on a hot Sunday afternoon, July 5.
The event, organized by Brian Cooper, began near the steps of the courthouse. Cooper, who works as a personal trainer in Platte City, said he wanted the gathering to be “a celebration, not a protest.” Cooper told The Landmark he has “heard and seen some things in Platte City that could divide us if we let it. We can disagree with one another but we can still love one another.”
Cooper said the event was to show that “Platte City is not going to be divided.”
After some words about unity, acceptance and diversity and a message from Pastor Brady Testorff of The Calling Community Church, many took part in a walk from the Platte County Courthouse in downtown Platte City, up the hill that is Marshall Road to Hwy. 92, then to the front entrance of Platte County High School. Local police vehicles provided a safe escort for the group of pedestrians.
At the school, Dr. Keith Jones, incoming principal for the high school, spoke for several minutes, advising folks to “find someone different than you and embrace them. Embrace the diversity.” Jones is the first-ever African-American principal of Platte County High School.
Following Jones’s talk, the group closed its activity with a walk back to the courthouse.
