Protesters line Broadway in Everett for Main Street USA rally

EVERETT — More than a thousand Snohomish County residents lined more than 3 miles of Broadway to express their anger at the actions of President Donald Trump and his administration on Saturday in Everett.

Most of those who stood along Broadway held signs high while cheering and encouraging those who drove by to sound their horns in support. The rally stretched from Funko Field to the south to Everett Community College to the north. The rally included a food drive for donations at Volunteers of America.

Organized by the citizen activist group Snohomish County Indivisible, the event was one of hundreds planned for Saturday across the nation under the name “Hands Off! Main Street USA.”

Naomi Dietrich, founder and co-leader of Snohomish Indivisible, is encouraged by the number of people who have been turning out for the group’s recent events.

“Today’s protest is just energizing people, because the more people we get involved, the more we send a message to our elected representatives that we are here,” Dietrich said. “We are encouraging them to do as much as possible. They’ve been working hard. They need to work harder. … This is not a test. We are in crisis right now. … They need to know there’s a crisis. We need to let people know that there are people that care.”

Dietrich said a focal point of the event is protesting the widespread and deep cuts made to federal services, programs and funding.

“It’s all about what they’re doing to decimate all the programs that are helping just your average Americans,” she said.

While many of the signs had to do with federal cuts, just as many displayed anger toward deportations, tariffs and a lack of due process — referencing the deportation of migrants such as Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador.

Bob Bleiler, a member of Snohomish County Indivisible’s administrative team, was encouraged by the increased number of young people at Saturday’s “Main Street USA” protest.

“We look at Broadway here as sort of Main Street, Everett, and we’re coming off April 5 at the Courthouse Plaza, where we had some 4,000 people,” Bleiler said. “A lot of people are wanting to get out and show what they think about all this. … We’ve talked with a number of young people, so it’s really good to see them.”

Among the crowd of protesters was Ron Gordon, who held his sign from a seat on a street corner alongside his Goldendoodle pup, Lucy. He said he decided to show up out of his desire to protect democracy, social security and health care.

“And, yeah, I’m very concerned about it, and I think we need to get out and speak and, you know, do what we can,” Gordon said. “So, this makes me feel much better knowing that I’m doing something, and I hope it encourages our politicians to get out in the streets, too.”

“We all got to get out and do something,” Otto Bruun said a few blocks further south. “There’s not a lot of power we have. We just sit at home and type on our computers. … We need feet in the streets or something.”

At a table near the intersection of Hewitt Avenue, Shaina Langley was at a table with markers and stacks of poster board, offering a convenient spot for protesters to create their own signs.

“We are out here supporting Indivisible because we believe that democracy isn’t done in isolation,” Langley said. “So we are out here to show our strength and show our support for everyone who feels like democracy is under attack right now.”

By the end of the event, the food drive at VOA was also very pleased by the community response.

“We got just shy of a ton of food,” said Paula Townsell, co-leader and community liaison for Snohomish County Indivisible. “I was floored. I could not believe how many donations we got. It filled the area. It was beautiful to see all of those wonderful donations from community support at a time when the food bank is so in need of donations, so it was such a good day.”

Aaron Kennedy: 425-257-7444; aaron.kennedy@heraldnet.com