Huge Kennewick rally one of 1,000+ nationwide protesting Trump policies
Hundreds of protesters lined Columbia Center Boulevard in Kennewick midday Saturday for the volunteer-organized “Hands Off! Kennewick Fights Back” demonstration.
They protested the Trump administration’s actions, calling out the falling stock market since tariffs were announced and high consumer prices. They called for free speech, fair elections and hands off Medicaid, Medicare, LGBTQ rights and medical research funding.
Protesters lined the boulevard the length of Columbia Center mall from Quinault Avenue north to near Tapteal Loop, with additional protesters on the other side of the boulevard.
The crowd numbered around 1,000 by some estimates and more than that by other estimates.
Traffic on the boulevard slowed and many drivers honked in support. There also were some jeers and thumbs down from passing Trump supporters.
U.S. News reported that 500,000 across the nation were expected to come out for Hands Off protests at 1.,400 locations.
Indivisible Tri-Cities WA, a chapter of the national Indivisible organization, founded in 2016 after Trump’s first election victory as a “social movement” to guide liberal-leaning resistance, organized the Kennewick protest.
“They are dismantling our country,” it posted online. “They are looting our government. And they think we’ll just watch.”
The Seattle Times said Hands Off! protests were also held Saturday in Bellingham, Bothell, Deming, Edmonds, Ellensburg, Everett, Everson, Friday Harbor, Kirkland, Langely, Longview, Mount Vernon, Oak Harbor, Olympia, Orcas Island, Port Angeles, Port Orchard, Pullman, Seattle, Shaw Island, Spokane, Vancouver, Whidbey Island and Yakima. A protest also was planned in Walla Walla.
The action to protest the Trump administration comes just 75 days into Trump’s second term.
In that short time, the Trump administration’s decisions have caused upheaval in Washington, D.C., and virtually every foreign capital, as it pushes major changes to the nation’s immigration and trade policies and wades into conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, according to media reports.
Washington state has been far from immune to Trump’s work.
Tariffs enacted this week by Trump have Washington’s food and agricultural industry bracing for a trade war. The resulting plunge of stock markets has taken many retirement account balances down with them.
Following Trump’s tariffs and his threats to Canadian sovereignty, border crossings from Canada to Washington state have plummeted, and in March the U.S. paused Columbia River water-sharing negotiations with Canada.
The Seattle Times contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 5, 2025 at 3:09 PM.