Spokane May Day march draws hundreds downtown; immigration key marching point
A few hundred people marched and chanted Thursday night through downtown Spokane to celebrate workers, demand justice for immigrants and bring attention to a host of other hot-button topics largely connected to policies from President Donald Trump’s administration.
Activists around the country and globe turned out for May Day marches, like the one in Spokane organized by Latinos en Spokane.
The march started at the Riverfront Park Great Northern Clocktower and proceeded west to the federal courthouse building, north across the Monroe Street Bridge to the Spokane County Courthouse and east to the area of ONE Spokane Stadium before finishing at the north end of Riverfront Park.
The procession of protesters stopped to listen to speakers address them with a megaphone at places like the federal courthouse and Spokane County Courthouse.
Protesters carried signs like, “No human being is illegal,” “PROTECT ESSENTIAL WORKERS,” “STAND WITH IMMIGRANTS AND END DEPORTATIONS,” and “MY DREAMS ARE BIGGER THAN YOUR WALL.”
Ingrid Rivera’s sign said, “KEEP FAMILIES TOGETHER.” Rivera marched with her friends Thursday.
“I am the daughter of immigrants, and this definitely hits home,” she said. “My parents were after the American Dream, and now it feels like we don’t belong here, so it was really important for me to be here.”
Rivera said the last few months have been filled with turmoil and fear, which is not OK.
“I just hope that people do the right thing, because this country depends so much on immigrants, and I hope that people see us and continue to support people, because we’re just here to make a living,” she said. “We don’t want to take anything away from anybody. We want the same thing for everyone, so I just hope people see that.”
Rivera said she hopes Thursday’s protests and the others like it spark a bit of change to protect the people that matter.
“Children matter and families matter, and I just hope that we can continue protecting our families,” she said.