Protesters lined the sidewalk near the entrance to the Walmart Supercenter in Chehalis on Friday, July 4, for the second local “No Kings” protest organized in opposition to Trump administration policies.
It came on the same day President Donald Trump signed his expansive domestic policy bill called the “Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
The 20th Legislative District Democrats organized the protest, which was scheduled from noon to 2 p.m. and received roughly 100 RSVPs. The crowd grew and shrunk in size throughout the protest.
On the nearby overpass, another group, Rural Lewis County Indivisible, held two large signs over Interstate 5 that read “Rejecting kings since 1776” and “Working class over billionaire greed” as part of a larger effort to display political messages critical of the Trump administration over the interstate highway from Vancouver to Seattle called the Overpass Action Visibility Brigade.
The protest had a smaller turnout than the recent “No Kings” protest held at George Washington Park in Centralia and received slightly more opposition than the previous event, with some drivers showing middle fingers, pointing their thumbs down or simply shouting “Donald Trump” or “Go Trump.”
Vocal opposition was mixed with frequent support. As one driver of a large truck passed by and shouted “go Trump,” another driver shouted “thank you” to the team of six that tried to keep the large signs on the overpass from blowing over.
Many in their cars honked in support, held fists in the air or even started friendly conversations with the group of between 50 and 100 people who lined the Walmart entrance. Protesters said the reception was about what they expected and that friendly interactions outnumbered hostile ones.
Despite protesting the current Trump administration and U.S. government policies, many protesters showed a patriotic flare, flying American flags or, in one instance, dressing in Revolutionary War-era clothing. A man who introduced himself as Timothy Matlack, the clerk who drafted the Declaration of Independence, toted a sign plastered with the document and waved to passing cars. Many said they couldn't think of a more patriotic thing to do on the Fourth of July than protest.
“The thing I love about our country is that you can meet with your family and friends and sing songs and laugh and have good food and do fireworks and share happy memories, but we can also meet together and encourage our country to do better,” Centralia local Cindy Hill said. “That's the beauty of our country. We can do both. We can meet together and celebrate in that way. We can also come out here and say ‘you can do better,’ because I believe we can do better. I wouldn't want to live in any other country. I’m happy living here.”
