Evangelist Franklin Graham brought his Decision America Pacific Northwest tour to the parking lot of Cheney Stadium in Tacoma on Sunday night.
The turnout was smaller and weather milder than the tour’s stop Thursday in Spokane, where temperatures soared above 100 degrees. The stop was one of several for Graham in a sweep of the Northwest, with appearances also in Tri-Cities and Medford, Bend and Portland in Oregon.
Spokane crowd estimates counted nearly 15,000 at its fairgrounds. In Tacoma, while there was no immediate official estimate, Graham later tweeted that it numbered in the thousands.
There also were calls to action on social media over the weekend before his appearance from opponents to attend a counter-rally to protest Graham’s various political stances. The Faith Action Network posted on Facebook an open letter titled: “Franklin Graham’s Hateful Version of Faith: Not Welcome in Tacoma.”
“As faith leaders in and near Tacoma and Pierce County, we write to you with a clear and unequivocal condemnation of Mr. Graham’s persistent, public actions and teachings that highlight bigotry and hate in disguise as the Christian faith,” the letter stated.
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