By Phuong Le
The Associated Press
SEATTLE — Nancy Davenport marched on Washington 28 years ago to stand up for women’s equality. The 72-year-old was back at it Saturday, this time joining thousands in the other Washington who crammed the streets of Seattle to send a message to President Donald Trump about women’s rights and other causes.
“We thought we were done and we’re not,” said the Port Angeles woman, who carried a sign that read in part: “Don’t make us come back in 28 years to do it again.”
“You have to keep fighting for what you believe in.”
Across the Pacific Northwest, women’s marches and rallies in cities from Seattle to Spokane, as well as Portland, Ore., and Boise, Idaho, drew thousands of women and others.
Demonstrators wore pink “pussyhats” and waved signs proclaiming: “You belong,” ”Love Trumps hate,” or “My uterus will fight you.”
Police and city officials did not provide a crowd estimate, but march organizers estimated about 100,000 people showed up.
By Saturday afternoon, demonstrators had packed the entire 3.6-mile route.
Some said they were protesting Trump and his policies, while others wanted to promote unity or to fight racism, sexism and hate.
“What I’m seeing here is overwhelming, the solidarity and love,” said Amanda Guzman, who pushed her 18-month-old son in a stroller. “All across the world, we’re marching [against] him, against his hate.”
She said it’s so easy to listen to Trump and see only bad, but the thousands who turned out for the march gave her hope. “It’s all reassuring that there’s still good, and we will fight this.”
Fathia Absie, a Muslim-American writer and filmmaker from Seattle, said she marched to support women’s rights as well as all other rights.
“We have to come together. What makes this country beautiful and unique, unlike anywhere else in the world, is that we’re so diverse,” she said. “Our differences make us beautiful.”
Brittany Vieira, 31, who lives in Gresham, Ore., took her 8-month-old son to the march in downtown Portland.
It’s an opportunity to unite and connect with others, she said.
“This whole election has completely turned my world upside-down,” she said. “I feel like it’s important to use our voices against people who are trying to silence us.”
Leigh Douglass, 45, left the march in downtown Boise feeling inspired and that “this is just the beginning.” The mood was welcoming and celebratory, and she said she cried as she listened to stories from powerful speakers.
Douglass said she won’t remain silent and plans to speak up when she feels things aren’t right.
“I’m marching to be seen and heard,” she added.
During a demonstration in Seattle on Friday, a man was shot in the abdomen.
University of Washington police say two people taken into custody after the campus shooting have been released.
Seattle police said a man was shot in the abdomen during a demonstration outside Kane Hall where far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos with Breitbart News addressed a crowd inside.
Police Maj. Steve Rittereiser said in a news release Saturday afternoon that police investigated and, after consulting with King County prosecutors, released the two pending further investigation. He said police are not seeking other suspects.
Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Gregg said the man was in critical but stable condition Saturday morning. She said he is 34 years old.
Rittereiser said a suspect, accompanied by another person, turned himself in to University of Washington police after the shooting and both were taken into custody.
From left, Sequim and Port Angeles residents Barb Gunderson Hendrickson, Christie Lassen, Sharon Jensen, Sharron Fogel and Sue Miles took part in a women’s march Saturday in Seattle.
Marchers numbering in the thousands arrive at the Seattle Center and in view of the Space Needle on Saturday in Seattle. (Elaine Thompson/The Associated Press)
Native American singers and drummers lead a women’s march of thousands as it arrives at the Seattle Center on Saturday in Seattle. (Elaine Thompson/The Associated Press)
