Central Kenai Peninsula residents gathered in Soldotna on Tuesday to protest the recent federal actions by President Donald Trump’s administration. Their concerns ranged from federal overreach, to Constitutional violations, to jobs for federal workers.
Soldotna’s Blazy Mall is a hodgepodge of local businesses. The building houses an orthodontist, a Chinese restaurant, an Allstate Insurance office and a hair salon. But for the more than 100 people protesting on its sidewalk Tuesday, there were only two offices of relevance — the local outposts for Republican U.S. Sens. Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski.
“They need to stand up for the Constitution and all this overreach that’s not legal,” said Gary Todd.
He’s standing on a pile of snow, holding a sign with U.S. and Alaska flags. On one side, the sign says “NO RABID INVASIVE MUSKRATS IN USA, DEPORT TO S. AFRICA” with a picture of Elon Musk’s head photoshopped onto a rat body. Todd says Musk’s efforts to trim federal spending are being done improperly.
“Federal employees are our neighbors,” he said. “They do everything for the American people. They're there to serve the American people. If you need to cut the budget, you do, but you do it in a responsible way, in a way that just doesn't throw people out to the wind.”
Tuesday’s demonstration is part of a national effort organizing under the umbrella of 50501. The national movement started with protests in all 50 states to protest against what participants say are the illegal and antidemocratic actions of U.S. President Donald Trump since he took office in January.
The effort comes less than a month after similar demonstrations on Presidents Day, which drew crowds around the state, including in Soldotna.
Bridget Mitchell, who’s protesting with her two kids, holds a sign that shows a heart over the flag of Ukraine. She says the country’s invasion by Russia is a galvanizing issue for her, and that demonstrating is a way to channel her feelings of hopelessness.
“It's actually the thing that really kind of gets me teared up more than anything,” she said. “We — we’re talking about human lives. We're talking about children. We're talking about women. I have a friend in Anchorage who's from Ukraine, and so it just really hits home with some friends who are from the area.”
Brent Johnson, who sits on the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly but says he’s protesting in a personal capacity, says he’s alarmed about the direction the country is going. He wants to show support for Ukraine, the U.S. Constitution and democracy, which he says are being challenged.
“I wanted them to oppose confirming Kennedy and Hegseth and Kash Patel and one person after another,” he said. “They're all unqualified. What else do I want them to do? I want them to stand up to Trump, go back to being Republicans. You know, (the) Republican Party wasn't so bad, but what's going on now is bad.”
Another protestor, who asks to remain anonymous, says he’s worried about federal cuts to veterans services. He served during the Vietnam War and says he’s “waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
“I just worry about us and everything else, because I don’t like what I’m seeing – all the writing on the walls,” he said. “What Musk is doing – Musk right now is pulling the strings making Trump his puppet.”
Michele Vasquez helped organize Tuesday’s demonstration. She said she was surprised at the turnout.
“There were so many people here today I've never met,” she said. “So what's going on right now has reached and touched a lot of people. I talked to many people concerned about Social Security, concerned about veterans benefits, the fact that they can't get a hold of their senators. I mean, it's just – the issues are just nonstop.”
Vasquez says she and others plan to continue demonstrating until things start “getting better.”
