Labor Day of Action
Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown addressed the crowd on Capitol Hill with a powerful speech.
While many celebrated Labor Day with much-needed relaxation, numerous Seattle residents felt this was no time to rest and staged protests in various neighborhoods across the city, including Capitol Hill. Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown addressed the crowd on Capitol Hill with a powerful speech.
Labor Day is celebrated to honor the social and economic achievements of American labor unions. Many feel that Donald J. Trump is failing to uphold these achievements and is actively stripping away rights for which countless laborers throughout history have fought.
Since the beginning of his second term in office, President Trump has purged hundreds of thousands in the federal workforce, claiming reasons related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices. On March 27th, President Trump issued an Executive Order that excludes federal workers from union benefits. More recently, he announced plans for a military occupation in Chicago, Portland, and Seattle, mirroring actions seen in Washington, D.C..
Residents across the Puget Sound Area, from Bothell to Tacoma, used their day off to demonstrate against the Trump administration’s policies that placed billionaires over workers. Some protests began as early as 10 A.M. and extended until 4 P.M. I decided to attend a couple of these demonstrations, capturing photos and documenting my findings, to showcase the level of discontent with President Trump’s policies that negatively impact the working class.
I started at a protest organized by Alphabet Resistance in the University District, as it was closest to my location that morning, before heading to Capitol Hill. Alphabet Resistance is part of the Indivisible group movement, similar to The Visibility Brigade in Paramus, New Jersey. This group in particular utilizes the NE 45th Street Bridge to display messages to drivers on I-5.



Participants held signs, each displaying letters which collectively spelled “Workers over Billionaires” and “Stop Handouts to Insiders.” The messaging was simple yet effective, prompting many drivers to honk in support. On the bridge, individuals waved picket signs, including one that read “Honk if you love due process.” The volunteers were welcoming, and I even assisted in capturing a group photo at the end.







I then made my way to Seattle Central College in Capitol Hill. The protest at this venue was organized by Capitol Hill Pride, a non-profit advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. Hundreds gathered on campus grounds, brandishing various unique signs protesting against numerous issues stemming from the Trump administration.





The highlight of the event was Attorney General Nicholas W. Brown addressing the crowd with an uplifting speech. “Today, even though it is a day off, it is a day to make sure that we continue to fight for justice, to fight for freedom, and to fight against the creep towards fascism that we are seeing in the United States of America today,” stated AG Brown at the outset of his oration.
AG. Brown held back no punches with his criticism of President Trump. “In our over thirty-seven cases, we are fighting for things like civil rights, for healthcare, for the sanctity and identity and integrity of people that are transgender, that is what our lawsuits are doing. We are also fighting to protect money that was guaranteed to the state of Washington.” Brown continues “and time and time again, what we are seeing is the president that has no ability to work with Congress demonstrates how weak of a person he is because of the way he acts, he likes to pretend that he is a strong man but a strong person knows how to work with the communities, a strong person knows how to convince the voters of the truth and the sound policy of what they are doing”
After additional speakers, protestors marched through the streets, drawing support from bystanders. Unfortunately, a few grifters sought to exploit the crowd's anger. Nevertheless, marchers symbolically made the pilgrimage to the Mexican Consulate in Seattle, voicing that “no human is illegal” and standing against Trump’s illegal ICE raids. They also chanted for a free Palestine, an end to the Russo-Ukraine war, and a brighter tomorrow before returning to the campus.





My main takeaway from these events is the importance of unity. Fascism will continue to grow unless we organize with our neighbors and comrades before it becomes illegal to do so. I commend those who chose to take action this Labor Day in support of workers' rights and to advocate for their own rights.