
This article was updated to correct the spelling of Dr. Neil Sehgal’s name and also to update the crowd estimate, based on an online estimating app and AI, which was provided to us.
A group estimated at more than 4,500 gathered at Edmonds’ Civic Field Saturday morning to raise their voices in protest over what they see as the hijacking of American democracy by the Trump administration.
Organized and promoted by Indivisible Edmonds in association with Snohomish County Indivisible, the event featured keynote speaker Rick Steves and included additional remarks by other speakers including State Sen. Marko Liias, Edmonds United Methodist Church Rev. Jeremy Smith, University of Washington Public Health Professor Dr. Neil Sehgal, Edmonds City Councilmember Susan Paine and Lynnwood City Councilmember Josh Binda.
Sharon Otness, one of the original five founders of Snohomish County Indivisible, welcomed the crowd, remarking that it was the shared desire to turn “anger into action” that prompted the group’s formation.

She was followed by event emcee Judi Gladstone, who set the tone by emotionally expressing her frustration with the current administration in Washington, D.C.
“I am here today as a resident of this United States, just like you,” she began. “I’m angry, I’m scared, I’m frustrated and I’m ashamed of what is happening in our country. This week’s immigration raids and protests in California shocked many of us. Also hanging over us today is the celebration of our president’s birthday with a military parade costing upward of $45 million. I may be angry and ashamed of these events, but today I am here to peacefully speak out and speak up for democracy.”
The parade was held in honor of the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday.
Gladstone then introduced State Sen. Marko Liias, a 21st District Democrat from Edmonds, who drew parallels between the current administration’s tactics and those used against historical protests like the Stonewall riots. He acknowledged the recent “devastating” loss of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, who “just a few hours ago gave her life in service to the people of Minnesota,” and called for renewed vigilance and resistance against what he described as the Trump administration’s efforts to distract and divide the nation.

“That’s how he thinks he can subvert the Constitution — by distract and divide,” Liias stressed. “So when he issues an order on his first day in office saying there are only two genders, there’s one reason why he’s doing that: to distract and divide…but it goes further than that pernicious order. He announces and talks about who can go to the bathroom because he really wants to distract you from what he’s doing in the classroom, dismantling the Department of Education. It’s all part of his distract and divide strategy, and we cannot allow him to do that.”
Liias was followed by Chris Weare and Diane Nelson, leading the attendees in the traditional protest song We Shall Overcome.
Edmonds United Methodist Church Rev. Jeremy Smith then spoke of the values of the church, remarking that “justice is what love looks like in public.”

Additional remarks followed from immigration lawyer Terry Preshaw, who spoke of what she termed the recent unconstitutional deportation activities of the Trump administration; Dr. Neil Sehgal of the University of Washington School of Public Health, who decried the impact of Medicare and research funding cuts; and Tesla protest organizer Carlo Voli who reminded the gathering of the continuing threat posed by Elon Musk and other “oligarchs” like him.
Edmonds City Councilmember Susan Paine was next. She spoke of her ancestor, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, which laid out in plain language how kings were subverting liberty. “And it’s happening again now,” she said.
She was followed by Lynnwood City Councilmember Josh Binda, who introduced himself as a first-generation American and the son of two Liberian refugees who “came here with nothing” to escape dictatorship in their home country.

“And now it’s happening here,” he added.
Gulf War veteran Amanda Thornton-Dewitt related how she joined the Navy at 17 years old and swore to “protect our country against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” And she said that despite suffering a broken back in a service-related injury, she remains true to that oath.
Next was keynote speaker Rick Steves.
“We gather here today as patriots, not Democrats or Republicans,” he began. “I’m wearing my purple shirt today – it’s what you get when you mix red and blue.”
He went on to say that democracy is on the line, and how he sees the Trump administration as threatening our bedrock institutions by privatizing public health, public education, public lands and parks, and more.
“These institutions limit his power, and he wants total control,” Steves continued. “Trump’s goal from the very start, has been to ruin our trust in institutions and he is brilliant at it. From the New York Times to the Kennedy Center, he’s ruining institutions and putting in his ideologues to accomplish that ruination.

“Take as an example how he first discredited the USAID [US Agency for International Development] as an institution and then destroyed it. Since then, in less than a couple of months, an estimated 300,000 people have died resulting from DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) cuts, not to mention ruining our standing with the other 96% of the world, and destroying our impact on the developing world, where the Voice of America will soon be replaced by the voice of China. That’s not how you make American great.”
Steves said he believes that the real agenda behind the cuts made in the name of government efficiency is to fund tax cuts for the rich and cripple the IRS to the point where the rich can easily cheat on taxes.
“It’s been a Republican dream for decades,” he said. “Twenty years ago, in the age of George Bush’s presidency, Republicans bragged that they would shrink government to where it would fit into a bathtub and then they’d drown it. That is not in the interest of the people of the United States. When you have a capitalist system, it needs a referee. I am a capitalist. I’m a good capitalist. I love it, but it needs a referee. And the only logical referee is our government.”
He concluded with a call to come together in solidarity to save democracy.
“We are in a battle today for our freedom, but it’s not going to be fought overseas by people in uniform. It will be fought here and we are the troops,” he said. “We have a president who is no servant of the people. Trump’s administration is waging war on America. It’s killing our nation’s heart and soul from within. But they’ll only succeed if we let them. We are not a lunatic far left fringe. We are American citizens and we’re waking up and mobilizing for an America that is of, by and for the people — not a king.
“Thank you very much, and God bless America.”
Following Steves’ remarks the group broke up, many walking to the Masonic Hall/Old Opera House to build on the spirit of the day by singing along to classic protest and resistance songs.




This was a well-organized and inspiring event! All of the speakers added authenticity based on their knowledge and experiences, and the attendees were peaceful and polite. Thank you for including parts of the speeches, so people who didn’t attend know it was patriotic, and not threatening.