Several locals took a long, rainy candlelit walk through downtown Fort Walton Beach Saturday evening to bring awareness to the plight of the local homeless community.
"Everyone needs a home," said Susan Kindler.
The group held cardboard signs reading "Walk 4 Homeless." They planned the walk for Saturday, the longest night of the year, to draw attention that the homeless would be spending the long cold night outdoors.
The group was protesting the disparity of wealth in the U.S, said Erick Brown.
They also took issue with the local treatment of homeless people, Kindler said. Simply looking homeless could get a person thrown out of certain areas of the city, she added.
There should be a safe and legal place for everyone to be, Brown said. People work to simply afford a home that should be solely theirs, he added.
"It shouldn't be so hard," Brown said.