Thousands are expected to gather in dozens of “No Kings” protests across the Seattle area and Washington state Saturday, against the backdrop of a military parade in Washington, D.C., and escalating immigration crackdowns across the nation, particularly in Los Angeles. In Seattle, protesters will gather at
Cal Anderson Park at noon and the
University of Washington’s Red Square at 11 a.m., ahead of the school’s commencement ceremony. Some will protest on the
10:25 a.m. Bainbridge-Seattle ferry , something Washington State Department of Transportation said is allowed. Dozens more protests are anticipated throughout Washington, including at the
state Capitol in Olympia . The nationally coordinated rallies, of which there will be about 1,800 across the U.S., call for President Donald Trump to be “dethroned” as protesters compare his presidential actions to those of a king and not of a democratically elected leader.
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The rally at Cal Anderson Park will likely see the largest turnout, with demonstrators marching from the Capitol Hill neighborhood to Seattle Center. Seattle Indivisible, the nonprofit leading the protest among a dozen other organizations, says it is committed to a “nonviolent, peaceful protest.” “It’s been carefully planned with safety being a priority,” said organizer Tyna Ek. “ We’ve been really sensitive to the safety concerns of our supporters and we’ve been watching what’s going on.” King County Metro said
it expects to temporarily reroute about two dozen bus routes, including RapidRide C and E lines, about midday Saturday . Seattle police made at least 10 arrests this week during
anti-immigration enforcement protests , which remained largely peaceful but were
punctuated by protesters lighting a dumpster on fire and lobbing a firework toward officers . Police sprayed an irritant of some sort at the crowd during a protest Wednesday night, and the department did not respond Thursday to multiple requests for more information on that.
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Organizers on Saturday will 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,” Ek said. Demonstrators should look to the safety team for direction in the event of violence or confrontations, she said. Trump has activated more than 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines to quell anti-immigration enforcement protests in Southern California, against the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Last weekend, federal law enforcement blocked off major freeways, fired rubber bullets, and used tear gas and flash bangs as thousands of protesters turned out against ICE operations in Southern California at several locations
such as a Home Depot . Jaime Housen, spokesman for Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office, added that Harrell is “confident SPD is making a robust effort to prepare for upcoming protests and to review past events,” but could not say if SPD would be ramping up its response for Saturday’s protest in light of confrontations during the week. Police did not respond to multiple requests for comment regarding their approach to protests this weekend. “The fear tactics will not silence us,” Ek said. “ We want the country’s attention, the government’s attention to be back on the people and not one person’s ego.” Ek is confident their message — fighting to preserve democracy under what she called Trump’s “authoritarian power grab” and to protect immigrant communities — will be potent. “I think when they all stand up together, when the people rise together, that does have a bigger impact,” she said.
