Photos by Brittne Lunniss
Yesterday, a coalition of unions, immigrant rights groups, and other anti-Trump protestors took over the streets on Capitol Hill. The rally brought together more than 1,000 protesters at Cal Anderson Park, and then, with the assistance of car escorts and bike blockades, they marched to the federal building, stretching across blocks at a time.Â
And it wasn't the only protest in the region. At the same time, 200 lawyers were ceremonially retaking their oath at the King County Superior Court, and immigrant advocates were marching on the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma.Â
There are May Day protests in every major city every year, but this year, they drew from the same kind of energy—even on a Thursday—that the Hands Off! protests harnessed in April. Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators protested across the country. This is the kind of progressive coalition building we need.
Earlier this month, Stranger columnist Kendall Turner asked social scientists if we know what makes a successful protest movement. She wrote that “we know that over the last century, almost no protest movement that has mobilized 3.5 percent of a population has failed to achieve its goals.” Hands Off! didn’t hit those numbers—the highest estimates were 1 percent of the population—and neither did yesterday’s, but gatherings like these are how we build the foundation to get to that 3.5 percent. “Few things stop a movement’s momentum as quickly as not having something to do next,” wrote Turner. “Numbers matter, yes, but so does consistency in participation in a protest movement.”
Stranger contributing photographer Brittne Lunniss captured it all, so if you weren’t able to make it, here’s a little taste of the magic. And if you can, get down to Olympia tomorrow for the All Labor March!
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