Small group protests Donald Trump in downtown Spokane

A small group gathered outside the U.S. Courthouse in downtown Spokane on Saturday to protest the election of Donald Trump as president.

Former U.S. Marine John Nickerson organized the event on Facebook and said he wanted to have a peaceful protest against Trump’s views.

“I don’t like the separation he’s caused between Americans,” he said. “I feel like we’re going back 50 years.”

Nickerson said he’s hoping that Electoral College voters won’t cast their votes for Trump, particularly since some Republicans spoke out against his views. “I think the Electoral College is wrong,” he said. “It’s just a bad system.”

Many of the two dozen people who stood in the whipping wind Saturday afternoon held signs with anti-Trump messages. One boy held a double-sided sign that he’d made himself. One side said “Trump is mean” and the other said “Trump is a grump.”

“He shouldn’t be our president,” said 8-year-old Otis Nix. “I don’t think he respects other people.”

Otis’ father, Jason Nix, held a much simpler sign that read “Keep the ACA,” referring to the Affordable Care Act. “I think he outdid me on the signs,” he said of his son.

Jason Nix said he believes some parts of the ACA, commonly known as Obamacare, are important to keep, particularly the section that requires the coverage of people with pre-existing medical conditions.

“The idea that insurance companies aren’t making enough profit now is absurd,” he said.