"Coup In Progress Please Do Not Standby" (Protester's sign)

An estimated 400 people turned out at the Ballinger Way and Bothell Way intersection on a sunny May Day 2025 afternoon to protest on many issues. The festive atmosphere was accompanied by an undercurrent of serious concern, as depicted by the many signs. 

One of the organizers, Donna Hawkey, said, "...it's not supposed to be a chainsaw, it should be, you know,  carefully extracted, we all don't want waste. [When] I grew up I was saved by some of the benefits so for me, it's a real passion because, you know, at that time, that was when the New Deal came out with President Roosevelt and we got benefits like [food] stamps and healthcare, that we wouldn't have had."

Another organizer, Sally Yamasaki, said, "Personally, coming from the community of Japanese Americans, this is real, and people might think, Oh, you know, it's not going to happen, and it is already happening."

Donna Hawkey also explained the "3.5% rule" whereby if 3.5% of the population peacefully protests, its never failed to bring about change. This, according to Hawkey, would equate to 11.9 million people in America.

All photos by author