ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Organizers in every state have arranged a second nationwide weekend of protests, demonstrating their disapproval of the Trump administration’s actions.
Prior to the weekend’s events, there were at least six scheduled protests in Alaska according to Marchagainst.org, which listed Anchorage, Wasilla, Fairbanks, Juneau, Soldotna, Kodiak, Nome and Petersburg as gathering places for dissenters.
Anchorage’s crowd gathered in Town Square Park at noon and began with a land acknowledgement by Shannon Nelson, mother of Kenneyon Baker, who is currently demanding justice for her son’s death and subsequent police investigation.
As protestors began their march, their numbers stretched across multiple blocks of downtown, streaming out of Town Square Park toward Peterson Towers, filling five blocks as they walked.
Signs and causes varied between protestors. Like the nationwide protest from April 5 weeks before, Americans are rallying against a long list of decisions by the Trump administration.
“We’re fighting against the policies that are going to make Alaska a really difficult place to live, between the job cuts and cutting Medicaid and the tariffs that are being imposed,” said Erin Jackson-Hill, Executive Director of Stand Up Alaska.
Since taking office, President Donald Trump has cut funding for government health programs, eliminated diversity, equity and inclusion programs in all federal offices, and initiated deportation efforts resulting in the wrongful deportation of Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
Abrego Garcia’s name was on the lips and signs of Anchorage protestors Saturday, who called for “due process for all.”
President Trump said in a press conference on April 18, “This man is a according to certified statements that we get is a very violent person. And they want this man to be brought back into our country where he can be free and to stay as a happily--you know, happily, they call him the Maryland man he’s a Maryland father, no this is a violent person.”
Jackson-Hill, addressing how it felt seeing so many protestors turn out in recent weeks, wondered where some voters have been.
“I will be honest; in some ways, I feel like ‘Where were you before the election?”
Though she said she recognizes the reason some people might have shifted their views, she said, ″I know that politics and policy and people move at the pace of pain."
During the march in downtown Anchorage, several drove by yelling expletives at protesters on the streets, but the sound of short honks of support filled the streets.
Jackson-Hill said she believes protesting is crucial. Based on the Trump administration’s actions so far, she only expects more difficulty ahead. Speaking to Alaskans who haven’t felt inclined to protest, Jackson-Hill addressed her fears for the future.
“If you’re not here, you should be. If you think that they are just coming for people that don’t look like you, it will be you next. They’re already going after law firms. They’re going after universities. They’re going after our media.
“You need to stand up and fight back because we might not have a democracy if we don’t win this next election.”
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