Over 70K in Seattle denounce Trump at massive ‘No Kings’ rally

Credit: Seattle Times

In downtown Seattle, aboard a Washington state ferry and at dozens of other “No Kings” rallies across the Pacific Northwest, tens of thousands of peaceful protesters raised their voices Saturday in a public rebuke of President Donald Trump’s hard-line policies.

At the largest rally in Seattle, more than 70,000 people flooded the streets shoulder-to-shoulder, marching en masse from Capitol Hill to Seattle Center — making it one of the biggest protests in the city’s history.

Nationally, organizers estimated 2,000 protests were calling for Trump to be “dethroned,” saying he has wielded his presidential authority like a monarch, not an elected leader, according to the 50501 Movement.

The protest resonated as a counterpoint to a military parade in Washington, D.C., on the president’s 79th birthday. The rallies also come in the wake of an immigration crackdown that sparked protests and riots in Los Angeles and elsewhere — with the Trump administration deploying hundreds of U.S. Marines and thousands of National Guardsmen in combat gear to the streets of Los Angeles to quell unrest, against the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The protests were shadowed by violence elsewhere: In Minnesota, “No Kings” protests were canceled by organizers after a gunman posing as a police officer shot and killed a Democratic state legislator and her husband Saturday morning, and wounded another lawmaker and his wife in an apparent politically motivated assassination. “No Kings” flyers were found in the suspect’s car, along with a manifesto and list of other names.

In the liberal stronghold of Seattle, the weekend protests appeared to be the largest so far in Trump’s second term. Hours before, Gov. Bob Ferguson pleaded with demonstrators to stay peaceful, saying Trump is looking for reasons to send in the military.

“Our duty”

Many other Washington cities hosted rallies, including Tacoma, Olympia, Kirkland and Spokane, where this week police arrested some 30 people, who were protesting federal authorities revoking work permits and arresting two local immigrants who came here legally from Venezuela and Columbia.

At the state Capitol, crowds began to gather at 10 a.m. with an array of signs, flags and — in some cases — paper crowns declaring “No Kings.” People milled about and made their way to the steps of the Legislative Building. Among them was Jeff Dulaney, who walked with a cane and wore an Army veteran cap.

“It’s got to stop,” said Dulaney, who served from 1976 to 1981, right out of high school. “I don’t know how much damage this guy can do, but he’s going to try.”

Dulaney was in Washington, D.C., last week for a gathering of veterans, and he said he believes mass gatherings have the potential to change the direction of politics.

“There is only so much the American people will stand,” Dulaney said. “If more veterans get involved, it’ll change.”

Jessica Ryan, 47, was carrying an American flag and a “Proud Union Member” sign.

“It’s our duty to start saying something. This is ridiculous,” said Ryan, who works for the state prisons. “The techniques they’re using are gestapo techniques. When we allow that, it speaks about all of us.”

In the only report of violence Saturday afternoon in Western Washington, Tukwila police said officers used pepper spray and pepper balls to disperse a crowd of about 150 protesters blocking the exits of a Department of Homeland Security field office in Tukwila.

At least 100 immigrants had been ordered with one day’s notice to report to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Dozens of activists waited outside the field office Saturday, taking down names of immigrants before they entered the building and asking if they had legal representation. Then they marked the time the immigrants entered the building and cheered when they exited.

But two immigrants did not return, sparking outrage from the protesters. Police and federal authorities deployed tear gas, pepper balls and flash-bangs on the crowd, clearing an exit for unmarked vehicles.

“My heart aches”

Meanwhile, in Seattle, hundreds of people gathered in a subdued protest at the University of Washington’s Red Square before the school’s commencement ceremony.

Thousands headed to the city’s main rally at noon in Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill, with planned speeches from community organizers and politicians including U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal.

“My heart aches,” Jayapal told the crowd at Cal Anderson, referring to the assassination of a Minnesota Democratic lawmaker Saturday morning.

Jayapal said she and the thousands of attendees have to dig deeper today and rise to the moment to stop the train of authoritarianism.

“I am here with you to say, ‘We are not going home,’” Jayapal said to a roaring crowd.

At the sprawling park — just blocks from the Police Department’s East Precinct — large crowds began gathering before noon. Streams of protesters walked up Denny Way and filed out of the nearby light rail station, many carrying colorful signs. After speeches, the crowd marched to the Space Needle.

Dave Cuerpo, spokesperson at the Seattle Emergency Operations Center, placed the crowd size “in excess of 70,000.”

By comparison, over 100,000 attended the largest march in the city’s history, the Women’s March in 2017. The raucous riots that followed the 1999 World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle — resulting in a week of violence and tens of millions of dollars in damage — involved an estimated 50,000 protesters. By Saturday evening, police reported not so much as a single broken window.

A news release announcing the Seattle protests accused Trump of “an unprecedented power grab — usurping the role of Congress, slashing essential programs, ignoring due process and court orders, targeting our neighbors and allies and using our military forces against Americans.”

Among those at the park was Dorothy Gesick, 73, who held a sign that read “No Kings since 1776.” Gesick said she’s attended many protests in her life, but this one was the most important.

“We’re on this authoritarian decline, and I’m not sure we can recover from it,” Gesick said. “I’m hoping if there’s enough of us here, it’ll send a message.”

“Free expression”

Days earlier, a march from Capitol Hill had ended in clashes with dozens of Seattle police officers in riot gear, as some protesters began burning garbage and lobbing fireworks outside the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building. Seattle police arrested eight people, including two accused of striking officers. By the end of the night, protesters had burned American flags and tagged the federal building with anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement graffiti.

Local organizers urged attendees on Saturday to exercise their First Amendment rights in “nonviolent, peaceful protest.”

Seattle police have a checkered history of responding to mass protests, but the department promised a “measured response” to the crowds Saturday and urged people to approach officers with questions or concerns.

“Free expression is a cornerstone of our community, and the Seattle Police Department is committed to facilitating that right,” the department posted on its blotter.

Posting on X, the department began the day with a conciliatory note: “To everyone participating in the #NoKingsProtest in Seattle today: Need something? Please don’t hesitate to ask one of our officers.”

The department stated that violence or situations that endanger public safety will be met with a “measured” response.

“Police action, such as orders to leave the immediate area, will only be taken as a last resort when there’s a clear and present danger,” wrote Sgt. Patrick Michaud. “Officers can take action in situations involving violence, significant and unpermitted traffic disruptions, or other immediate threats to public and life safety.”

Seattle Indivisible, the nonprofit leading the main Seattle rally along with a dozen other organizations, pledged to have a “large volunteer safety team that is trained in de-escalation that will be on-site as well as a first aid team dedicated to protecting and caring for our community,” organizer Tyna Ek said.

Demonstrators should look to the safety team in the event of violence, she said.

A little after 2 p.m., Seattle police reported on X the stream of people leaving Capitol Hill was over a mile-and-a-half long.

Police wrote: “And not a single report of property damage.”

“Ferries, Not Tanks”

The day’s protests began with hundreds of “No Kings” protesters boarding a sailing of the Kaleetan ferry from Bainbridge Island to Seattle. Among them was 19-year-old Ella McRitchie, who just completed her freshman year at Harvard University. She was accompanied by her family.

McRitchie had hoped to spend this summer working on biomedical engineering research, but the Trump administration cut her grant funding, she said, attributing the last-minute change to the president’s ongoing feud with Harvard.

Hundreds of people boarded the 10:25 a.m. ferry from Bainbridge Island to Seattle on Saturday morning, including former governor Jay Inslee, to demonstrate against President Donald Trump as part of the wave of “No Kings” protests across the United States. (Daniel Beekman & Lauren Frohne / The Seattle Times)

“It blows your mind,” said her dad, Joe McRitchie. Others on the ferry included former Gov. Jay Inslee.

Greg Relaford helped organize the “Ferries, Not Tanks” protest because he’s worried about the Trump administration’s authoritarian bent and its crackdown on immigrants, the Poulsbo retiree said in an interview this week.

“I don’t see the goal of what’s happening as being to get rid of immigrants,” said Relaford, 65. “It’s to make people suffer and be submissive.”

Paul Aussendorf, a bus driver who previously worked for the federal government, wore a shirt with the slogan “Democracies Have No Kings” to the Bainbridge ferry dock.

“We have to stand up to authoritarianism,” said Aussendorf, 66. “Through history, no authoritarian regime has survived a popular resistance, especially when it’s peaceful.”

Nicholas Deshais: 206-464-2932 or ndeshais@seattletimes.com: Nicholas Deshais covers transportation for The Seattle Times.

Greg Kim: 206-464-2532 or grkim@seattletimes.com: Greg Kim is a reporter covering homelessness for The Seattle Times.

Caitlyn Freeman: cfreeman@seattletimes.com.

Alex Halverson: 206-652-6352 or ahalverson@seattletimes.com.

Mike Carter: mcarter@seattletimes.com.

Daniel Beekman: 206-464-2164 or dbeekman@seattletimes.com: Seattle Times staff reporter Daniel Beekman covers politics and communities.