70 protestors show their support for KSPS public television Friday afternoon

Bubbles cascaded their way over the hoods of honking cars traveling along South Regal Street as protesters waved and held posters marked with their support for public broadcasting.

On Friday, in front of the KSPS PBS television station, nearly 70 people showed up to vocalize their support for local public television.

“We try to have it be uplifting and fun,” said Petra Hoy, a lead organizer for the grassroots movement called Eastside Gladiators. “We do the bubbles and whatever other silly thing.”

Over the last year, Hoy said her group has brought treats and thank-you cards to groups like PBS that have faced hardship after President Donald Trump signed a law clawing back $1.1 billion in funding for public broadcasting.

Adorned with a variety of buttons, an orange vest and brimming with an ecstatic attitude, Hoy cheerily declared that a free press is the backbone of democracy. Her message for people who want to get involved is simple: Join the Gladiators for an event and search for the good.

“It is really hard,” Hoy said. “The times are super rough right now, and I think we don’t say ‘thank you’ enough. I think people are happy to yell and be mad, but I think a little thank you in a box of cookies goes a long way.”

Standing next to Hoy in a matching orange vest was Kim Montoya, another Eastside Gladiator. Montoya moved from Colorado a few years ago and she said she’s slowly come to realize that Spokane is “one heck of a strong community.”

Montoya was pleased with the turnout and noted that she met several people on Friday whose first time it was attending a protest. Many, or rather most, of these people were in their 60s and 70s.

“We really have more in common than we don’t.” Montoya said. “A lot of people don’t know where to look, and maybe by seeing these they’ll say, ‘Hey, I think I want to join this.’ ”

As the parade of cars continued to honk and signal their support, Tom Carpenter, 65, took off his bucket hat littered with pins and pointed out all the ones he made. Carpenter said he spends about three hours each week creating pins while watching “Wheel of Fortune.” He says he can make about a button a minute, as he typically produces around 60 buttons for people to take per rally.

He started making pins to raise awareness and to encourage folks to become more involved. Carpenter’s pin for Friday’s event had a black background with Big Bird from “Sesame Street” in the front. It read, “Big Bird is not the enemy.”

Carpenter said the syphoning of wealth from the average citizen into the hands of billionaires is appalling.

“$200 million to make a ballroom when there are people starving in this country?” Carpenter said. “To take away health care from people so that you can have golden walls to dance in … This is America, we’re all equal. No one is above anybody else, including the president.”

Gary Stokes, the president and general manager of KSPS, got his first job in television in 1980. He’s worked in Spokane for the past 17 years, becoming president and general manager of KSPS in September 2013.

When Stokes went downstairs from his office to address the crowd of people who had gathered in his lobby to show support and to get a quick tour of the building, he said he was reminded of why he chose to work in public television for all these years. While sitting at a conference table and reminiscing on the grateful faces that showed up to support PBS, Stokes attempted to rein in the emotions he felt.

“I hadn’t seen that many people, all with one thought on a Friday afternoon,” Stokes said, pausing momentarily as his voice quivered. “I’m trying to hold it in, because I’m at a point now where I love these people and this community so much.”

Stokes plans to retire at the end of this year. However, after seeing nearly 70 people protest in the heat on a Friday afternoon, he felt rejuvenated. The decision he made nearly 45 years ago to chase journalism as a career was only reaffirmed from Friday’s event. Regardless, he’s still excited for retirement so that he can finally sleep in and play golf whenever he wants.

The building that KSPS PBS operates out of is owned by the school district. Stokes said his biggest concern is if the symbiotic relationship that KSPS has with the school district falls apart. However, Stokes strongly believes the next person to take over his job will be more than equipped to ensure that relationship remains steadfast.

“This is a community,” Stokes said, “And I say community in the best sense of the word. The people who are here, most of them stay here. Up until the time I got here in 2011, I had never been anywhere this long, and that’s a testament to not only the people who are part of Spokane, but the people that I work with and work for. So it’s important for me to make sure that we can and should, and we hope do, the best things that we can to make sure that the people we’re talking to and talking through understand the message that we’re trying to portray and the news business good, bad or ugly.”