EVERETT, APRIL 21: Thousands lined Broadway in Everett to protest actions taken by the Trump administration.
The protest was the second National Hands Off! demonstration to occur this month under the lead of Snohomish County Indivisible (SCI), a local chapter of a worldwide democracy movement.
The organization is demanding to “end the billionaire takeover and rampant corruption of the Trump administration” and to halt cuts to federal funding, according to a press release from SCI.
From noon to 2 p.m. Saturday April 19, sign wavers lined a three-mile stretch of sidewalks from 700 N. Broadway to 3900 Broadway. Car horns blared as passerby showed their support for sign wavers.
Everett resident Kathy Townsend said that she was happy to be out with her “fellow people”.
“I feel outraged. What can I do? I can show up. And I can feel like I’m not alone with my outrage,” Townsend said.
“The location was intentionally selected to focus on the many state and federal agencies, as well as regular businesses and residents on Main Street who are impacted by the chaos of unpredictable and abrupt cuts to services and funding,” SCI said.
In an effort to cut federal spending to save taxpayer money and to reduce national debt, the Trump administration has made sweeping cuts to federal workforces and programs.
At the first Hands Off! demonstration on April 5, at the Snohomish County Campus in Everett, SCI reported more than 3,500 attendees.
Pam Lavergne, a self-practicing social worker in Snohomish County said she is concerned about cuts to Medicaid. Medicaid, jointly funded by federal and state government, is the nation’s health insurance program for low-income individuals.
“We are highly educated people, and we are being treated like we don’t know anything,” Lavergne said about social workers. Lavergne herself relied on Medicaid and other federally funded programs, saying that they helped her get out of a hard place.
In 2022, the program cost the federal government $592 billion. It represents 19% of all health spending in the nation.
“I am a proud product of what taxpayers are paying for and now I have my own business, and I am forever grateful for what they’ve given me,” Lavergne said.
The deliberate stretch on Broadway passed the Washington State Department of Transportation, Everett Community College, Washington State University – Everett, Washington Department of Social and Health Services, Everett School District’s Community Resource Center and the Social Security Administration office.
Although many were there to show their frustration with federal funding cuts, others waived signs criticizing deportation policies, Elon Musk, tariffs and lack of due process.
Organizer Naomi Dietrich created SCI in 2016, during the first Trump administration. But this time is different she said.
“This particular time they’re more organized. Back then it was awful, but they weren’t as organized as they are now,” Dietrich said.
Many sign wavers stuck to corners and set up shop, with portable speakers playing music. At one point, a person was handing out copies of the Constitution to those on the sidewalks.
“I never expected this to be my new hobby,” a passerby said.
The demonstration acted as a local food drive for the Volunteers of America of Western Washington Food Bank, which organizers say, “are already feeling the squeeze due to extreme cuts and increased demands.”
SCI collected nearly a ton of food, Paula Townsell, co-leader and community liaison for SCI reported.
The demonstration was peaceful, with a few counter-protesters yelling “Donald Trump for President” from their car. At one point a man on a bike passed, saying “Rats from the left.”
Mary Dean, a resident of Everett said that she was out protesting many things, saying “the list was long.”
“I am out here because I feel like I have to say something. And I feel a little helpless,” Dean said.
