Hundreds protest Trump message in Spokane

Hundreds gathered on a drizzly afternoon Saturday in unity against what they see as divisive policies advocated by President-elect Donald Trump.

The rally was organized by a recent Eastern Washington University graduate and an Oregon State University student who said they felt driven to both rally against Trump and collect money for organizations who need support.

“We wanted to help those organizations that we feel are going to need this,” said Devon McKinney, the EWU graduate.

McKinney and her friend, Kelsi Wellens, decided to put on the rally after Trump won the election. “We need to have something to bring people together,” she said.

The money raised through sales of buttons with slogans like “Save me from Trump” and “Gays against Trump” will be donated to Planned Parenthood, Odyssey Youth, Earth Justice and Rape Abuse Incest National Network.

Many in the crowd held signs with messages like “You can’t comb over racism,” “We will not be silenced” and “We stand united.”

Speaker Jim CastroLang, Spokane Democratic Party chairman, said he has been dubious about the “Not my president” movement against Trump.

“I’ve got to own it,” he said. “This has got to be my president whether I like it or not. It might make me throw up on certain days, but I’m not going anywhere.”

CastroLang urged people to work for change, but to do it respectfully. “We need to make sure a stand we take against somebody else is not against them as a person,” he said. “We need to bring everybody together.”

Speaker Shar Lichty of the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane said she was cheered by the size of the crowd.

“You guys give me hope,” she said. “Together we are quite a force. We may not be able to stop everything from happening, but we can minimize the damage if we work together.”

It’s important not to dismiss all Republicans and conservatives as Trump supporters, Lichty said. Some lifelong Republicans, including her mother, refused to vote for Trump.

“This is not about political party,” she said. “What this country elected was someone on a platform of hate.”

Paul Dillon of Planned Parenthood urged the crowd members not to be silent if they see oppression. “Silence only benefits the oppressor,” he said. “We have to fight and we have to stand together. And when I say fight, I mean fight with love, because that’s how we do it.”

As the crowd sang out full-throated chants of support against hate, organizers urged people to keep their energy up and to be involved.

“Don’t let this be the stopping point,” Wellens said. “Let this be the starting point.”