Hundreds of sign-waving protesters filled Esther Short Park in downtown Vancouver at noon Monday in a demonstration of ire at the new Trump administration that seemed to startle even some of the organizers.
The event was organized by grassroots progressive groups Indivisible Greater Vancouver and MoveOn Clark County. It was one of many Presidents Day protests planned around the country.
“We just decided to do this a week ago,” said Donna Sinclair, a community organizer (and unsuccessful Democratic candidate for the Washington legislature) from Washougal.
The menu of reasons that drew protesters was long. Many protesters said they showed up to oppose “fascism.” Signs carried by protesters, and messages delivered during the lengthy open-microphone part of the event, cited issues including billionaire Elon Musk’s mission to radically downsize the federal workforce, the recent loss of women’s reproductive freedoms and the administration’s forceful crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
Speakers urged attendees to sign petitions but also to swamp local government meetings with their concerns and worries.
“We want to make the kind of ‘good trouble’ that was called for by John Lewis,” Sinclair said, quoting the late civil rights activist.
She and others decried what she called the “unabashed dismantling of government … under the guise of efficiency.”
Sinclair and others said the government layoffs aren’t unfolding only in far-away Washington, D.C., but also hitting federal workers in Clark County.
“Trump and Musk are tearing apart government agencies,” said Alan Unell, an organizer with Indivisible Greater Vancouver. Those agencies include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Park Service and even the Bonneville Power Administration, with operations and many employees in Vancouver and Portland.
“All of us are here to say this desecration of our democracy will not stand,” Unell said. “Let’s show those who value cash so much, we mean business.”
Tim Probst, chairman of the Clark County Democrats, called for Democrats to shut down Congress.
“We oppose this coup,” he said. “We support Democrats bringing Congress to a screeching halt. Democracy is at stake.”
Speaker Fia Marie urged everyone to look to themselves — not law enforcement — for safety and protection.
“It’s time to put aside our comfort and privilege,” Marie said. “It’s time to act.”
