AUBURN, Wash. -- It started out as a simple show of support in the wake of recent shootings across the country: colorful ribbons on display in Auburn to honor "blue lives" and "black lives," side by side.
But when the black ribbons suddenly disappeared, things got complicated.
"It was troublesome, just to put it lightly," said Wellington Troncoso, who lives in the area. "That was my take."
The blue ribbons showed up on trees in the Lakeland Hills neighborhood not long after the deadly attack against police officers in Dallas.
Then, someone else added to that display with black ribbons to show that black lives matter too - but those ribbons were taken down just hours later.
"I'll be honest, my first thought was wow the blue ribbons have been up a couple weeks and the black ribbons didn't last more than 24 hours," said neighbor Jessica Dennis. "So it was hurtful."
Troncoso and Dennis met for the first time on Wednesday, when the neighbors and their kids showed up on Lakeland Hills Way with the same goal in mind: to replace the black ribbons on behalf of the black lives they represent.
"Number one, it's taking a stand, and number two it's the symbolism of the blue ribbons and the black ribbons side by side," said Troncoso. "And me standing for Black Lives Matter does not mean I'm against police."
They also added some red ribbons to the display, because red and black have traditionally been the colors behind the black lives matter movement.
"I think it's really important to recognize all of the deaths, both the police officers and the black lives that have been taken," said Dennis.
It's not clear who took down the black ribbons initially, or what their motivation might have been. Troncoso and Dennis hope that this time around the black ribbons are left alone, as a gesture of equality and respect.
