Unprecedented Public Dissent during ‘No Kings’ Protest in Spokane

In an impressive display of public dissent, multitudes converged on Riverfront Park before marching through downtown Spokane as part of the nationwide ‘No Kings’ protest against President Trump’s administration. The peaceful demonstration was disrupted late in the day when a group encountered the police close to the City Hall, leading to the deployment of smoke canisters and pepper balls, and several arrests being made. The sidewalks of Spokane Falls Boulevard bore the brunt of the afternoon’s events, filled with chanting protesters and sign-holding supporters, easily numbering in their thousands. Vehicles passing by honked in solidarity, adding momentum to the protesters, their true number hard to ascertain due to the widespread location of the demonstration.

Although crowd estimation proved a challenge due to the sprawling nature of the protest, it wouldn’t be farfetched to suggest an attendance upwards of 20,000. The protest drew strength from ‘Spokane Pride,’ an event of identical ideology that had commenced earlier in the day with a grand parade and festival. The Stonewall Rally, a fixture of this event dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights, was hosted in the Lilac Bowl. This round of protests folded out simultaneously to the display of military strength in Washington D.C., meant to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army.

Despite these remarkable turnouts, these protests seemed minuscule when compared to the larger cities like Los Angeles which saw protests well into tens of thousands. Seattle had a protest sign-up of about 70,000 and even smaller towns such as Pullman saw more than a thousand protesters. In Moses Lake, the sight of over 300 gatherers was greeted warmly by local Jill Springer Forrest, who hadn’t anticipated such an overwhelming turnout in the predominantly conservative Grant County.

While these protests were being held across the country, the nation’s capital hosted a parade, the price tag for which has been estimated to be lodged between $25 and $45 million. The parade, interestingly, coincided with Trump’s 79th birthday and Flag Day. Retired Marine, Byron Schneider, expressed dismay at the administration’s decision to deploy active-duty troops to American cities, viewing it as an abuse of resources, evocative of oppressive regimes. Schneider’s concerns were rooted in fears of this being a precursor to more autocratic decisions happen down the line.

Schneider’s decision to participate in his first demonstration was propelled by numerous decisions made by the Trump administration. His protest sign encapsulated his sentiment, reading ‘Didn’t we reject kings in 1776?’ Schneider voiced his ambitions with a moving quote, ‘If we don’t stand up now, we’ll never stand a chance.’ The commemorative Stonewall rally at the Riverfront Park’s Lilac Bowl drew a crowd of more than 10,000.

The Stonewall Rally, a tribute to the 1969 Stonewall Uprising which sparked the modern LGBTQ+ movement, began with a few musical performances before the floor was taken by speakers. Their narrative revolved around the negative impacts of Trump’s policies on LGBTQ+, immigrant, agricultural and Indigenous communities. Among these speakers were Margo Hill, a professor at Eastern Washington University and former attorney for the Spokane Tribe, and local Democratic candidate and union advocate, Ted Cummings, along with Bishop Gretchen Rehberg of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane.

Rehberg’s diocese earned the distinction of the largest sponsor for Spokane Pride after she contributed $10,000, making up for the lack of several big corporate sponsors from previous years. At the event, Spokane Pride Director, Matthew Danielson, praised the partnership they had formed. Rehberg, expressing her support, stated, ‘I am here because I believe God is here…’ She further said, ‘And we, you and I are divinely and fabulously made, and we reflect God’s image.’ Rehberg concluded by expressing the church’s support for all those fighting against oppression.

Speakers continued to address the gathering while around 4 p.m., a multitude of protesters began their march from the Lilac Bowl towards the park’s red wagon. The crowd, holding hundreds of anti-fascist placards, moved in rhythm with the beats of the drums. A player leading the band hoisted a copy of the Constitution while playing a tuba painted with flame motifs. They played the anti-fascist protest song ‘Bella Ciao,’ their song of choice, to the applause and cheers of the crowd.

Barbara Wodynski, a self-proclaimed veteran of the Vietnam War protests in her native Chicago, observed how the political atmosphere had changed over time. She noted that despite her activism, she had not felt fear for her country until this period. Wodynski expressed her hopes for a better future for her grandchildren, wanting to see them as blessed as her generation. Greg Soares, a U.S. Army veteran, echoed her thoughts, noting a shift in patriotism to a more agenda-driven movement.

Gemma Palmiter, who had traveled from Coeur d’Alene to join the protest, voiced her concern over maltreatment of innocent individuals who were being deported. Palmiter expressed support for the protest at Spokane’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility that led to over 30 arrests. She hoped for a future where organizations like ICE would cease to exist. While the crowd was immense and vocal, they remained peaceful until after 9 p.m.

Despite a rattled atmosphere, a few instances of camaraderie were observed. A police officer was noted appreciating a protest organizer’s assistance, and in return, was cheered by the crowd at the organizer’s request. By 5 p.m., a determined group of a few thousand demonstrators chanted ‘Whose streets? Our streets’ and took to the streets. Their march stretched from the federal courthouse to the Monroe Street Bridge and finally to the Post Street Bridge, before looping back to Riverfront Park.

Throughout the demonstration, spontaneous road closures by the police aided the movement of the crowd. A few marchers returned to the festivities of Pride or left the protest entirely once it reached the park. A relatively smaller group of demonstrators continued their demonstration, marching around downtown. Some Trump-supporting counter-protesters were noticed during the march. In one instance, a counter-protester flaunted a Confederate flag, claiming it represented her stance on ‘old-style America’.

For long hours into the night, a dwindled crowd continued their downtown demonstration as law enforcement officials scrambled to ensure their safety. Eventually, regional law enforcement officers intercepted the protest, ordering them to disperse, based on multiple ‘public safety’ orders around 9 p.m. In response to nonsuccessful attempts, law enforcement officers launched smoke canisters and fired several rounds of less-lethal ammunition. The crowd finally retreated to the Riverfront Park and the officers left the scene.

The scene of protests nationwide was also overshadowed by the assassination of a State legislator in Minnesota in what appeared to be a politically motivated attack. This event lead to the cancellation of ‘No Kings’ protests in the state. Locally, Spokane was still grappling with the aftermath of an immigration protest ignited by the federal detainment of two legal asylum-seekers, ending with deployment of smoke, pepperballs and several arrests outside an ICE facility near Riverfront Park.