‘I Can’t Not Be Out Here:’ Seattle Protesters Explain Why They Stand on Overpasses Protesting the Trump Administration

(SEATTLE) — Holding signs and waving to drivers, ‘No Kings‘ protesters stood on the Interstate 5 overpass at 50th St. during rush hour on Oct. 9 just as they have each Tuesday and Thursday morning since June.

“Lately [it] feels really serious, with attacks on the pillars of our democracy, attacks on judges in the courts, attacks on lawyers and law firms, attacks on schools and colleges, cutting science, cutting medical research,” Defund Musk volunteer Dan Druliner said. “Anything that has a power is being attacked. That sounds like authoritarianism. Free speech [is] under attack.”

The organization Druliner is a part of is specifically “dedicated to using that power,” that power being the American consumer, “and our voice, to bring accountability to billionaires.” Druliner has been involved in various protests since the Gulf War, often joining groups two to three times a week. “We started off with trying to get Elon Musk out of the government and realized that really oligarchs are the problem,” Druliner said.

‘No Kings’ protests have spread throughout the country since June in response to a perceived threat of authoritarianism from President Donald Trump’s second administration. The organization’s motto is “No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings,” according to its website.

The Backbone Campaign, known for their creative signage and large United States Constitution renditions, has a pledge of nonviolence with a “We the People” message. Its goal is to “manifest a world where life, community, nature, and our obligations to future generations are honored as sacred,” according to its website.

The three aforementioned organizations have one common goal: for democracy to reign.

‘No Kings’ protesters on I-5 overpass wielding signs. [Credit: Richard Schaefer]

Lafferty has a full-time job teaching Feldenkrais, Qi Gong, Shamanistic studies, and physical therapy, according to her website. When asked why she’s holding protest banners on the overpass, Lafferty said, “It’s to inform people and to build solidarity, and for people out here to say, ‘Hey, there’s people that are here every single week.’” 

She pointed to the rows of stopped traffic and explained over the honking of horns: “You can see this sign from way back there. And you can watch people’s responses as they come up; both positive and negative. We’re here every week. These are the same people that drive by.”

Lafferty holds a sign promoting the ‘No Kings’ protest. [Credit: Richard Schaefer]

Wielding the “defend our democracy” sign, Druliner, in his gray baseball cap and tan jacket, told The Click why he was protesting. “My mom is a federal worker. She worked for 40 years for the Department of Agriculture for the forest service, and my brothers and sisters work for the forest service. And to see our country being destroyed, in my opinion, I can’t not be out here.”

Lafferty said the protesters seem to get more positive than negative responses from drivers, “but the biggest percentage of people don’t do anything. They don’t give you a thumbs up, they don’t give you a thumbs down, they don’t give you a honk… and that, I think, is an issue with our population. Because many people are just not engaged. So if this promotes engagement… that’s good.”