Tri Cities Washington
Welcome
It is clear by the thousands of Tri-cities residents who made their voices heard, across all facets of identity,
that we are saying “NO MORE”! To live out the truth of Black Lives Matter, we are asking mayors, council
members, police departments, and city staff to utilize their power for change with the following actions:
​
1. Acknowledge that racism, anti-blackness, and white supremacy exists in the history and present
reality of our Tri-cities communities and take an active role in anti-racism.
​
2. Participate in on-going community conversations in a safe space that allows all voices to be heard
and understood so that solutions and long-term change can be collaboratively implemented.
​
3. Support Police by reforming policing, by police departments answering direct questions on use of
force, misconduct, and discrimination, and be accountable for a shared goal of establishing racial
equity.
​
4. Commit to community policing to repair division and build trust between citizens and officers.
​
5. Reallocate a significant proportion of police funds to provide access and resources to drug addiction,
behavioral health, education, mental health, housing, and employment in order to invest in our
communities.
​
6. Establish an ongoing commission of diverse citizen advisors who have independent accountability, to
perform an equity audit of all laws, policies, city codes, and ordinances with the specific goal of
dismantling racial inequality.
​
7. Publish disaggregated data within all facets of municipal organization to identify where opportunities
exist to incorporate black leadership.
​
8. Reconfigure electoral boundaries and reform legislative districts that support gerrymandering by not
including electoral representation of diverse communities.
​
Our Offerings
Come engage with other community partners about local efforts and find out how you can become involved at your desired level of commitment.
Our Mission
Bringing together stake holders in community to create, enhance, and advocate for historically minoritized populations. Our first focus and priority is on racial equity and social justice.
-
Educate ourselves and others
-
Respond to incidents of injustice and racism
-
Proactively address systems of unfairness and oppression
Our Team
Richard Matters
Pastor
209-327-1134
Vivian Terrell
Business Leader
509-579-5855
Noemi Sanchez
Community Worker at Columbia Legal Services
Noemi.Sanchez@columbialegal.org
Rick Matters
Rick serves as pastor at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Kennewick. In addition to his work through the RE&SJ Coalition, he serves on a number of activist groups in Spokane, including on SCAR (Spokane Community Against Racism), SJS (Smart Justice Spokane), the Racial Equity Committee for the Spokane Public School, and the Executive Committee of the Spokane Branch of the NAACP. Rick also participates in a number of antiracism training programs, including our own RE&SJ team of trainers.
Vivian Terrell
Area Business Leader
Owner of
The Honey Baked Ham Company
which is a premium food retailer known for the most flavorful hand-glazed Hams and Turkey Breasts, as well as signature lunches, heat-and-serve side dishes, decadent desserts, and more.
Noemi Sanchez
Noemi is an attorney with Columbia Legal Services, a statewide non-profit organization that advocates for laws that advance social, economic, and racial equity for people living in poverty.
​
TBD