There was cheering and honking and flag-waving. Martha Raynolds brought her family’s American flag.
“My father-in-law who was a 10th Mountain Division soldier, hung it on holidays. We've brought it out here because we think he would be pretty upset at what's happening in the US today,” Raynolds said.
Sue Sherif was also carrying her American flag.
“I want to see us make America, America again. To go back to a system of three branches of government with checks and balances, instead of government, by executive order and billionaires,” Sherif said.
Protestors also carried flags from Ukraine, Greenland, Canada, the Pride flag. The theme across the country was “Hands Off,” protesting the many and fast changes the Trump administration has made to the federal government.
Daisy Huang said it was reflected in the signs the protesters were carrying.
“I was just telling my friend here, there's like 50 different causes out there, and every single one is super important and Trump is ruining at least 50 different things a day,” Huang said.
Molly Murphy was wearing a suffragette costume, complete with a banner saying “Votes for Women.” She was concerned about the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, known as the SAVE Act, which would restrict voting rights. It is currently in the US House. If passed, it would require several changed to Alaska voting laws, including to have all ballots returned by election day.
“If they have to have all the votes counted the very day of the election, you know, the mail coming in and out of villages relies entirely on weather. So, all of those people would be disenfranchised from the vote if the plane can't get here," Murphy said.
"So, it's very discriminatory against rural people, elders that can't get to places to register to vote easily, persons with disabilities, women who have changed their names, trans persons who have a name that doesn't match that which is on their birth certificate. It's limiting access to voting.”
Dr. Sriharsha Gowtham says he’s worried about his patients’ access to healthcare.
“I think it's really important to protect Medicare and Medicaid for our seniors. These insurances are really important to save lives. If we care about money, saving a larger tax burden later with better prevention. I don't know if enough doctors speak out about this, you know, protecting these valuable institutions that are uniquely American,” Gowtham said.
Fairbanks City Mayor David Pruhs stood on the steps of City Hall while demonstrators lined Cushman Street, Fairbanks’s main street downtown.
“The reason why I'm here is to make sure that their rightful piece of protest is uninterrupted and that no one interferes with them,” Pruhs said.
The City of Fairbanks requires a permit for activities on City property, such as the lawn in front of City Hall, but not for citizens who happen to be on the sidewalks. Pruhs said no one affiliated with the protest requested a permit.
“ No one consulted the City of Fairbanks about a permit, but I was told by our engineering department, the person who grants permits, that if I'm here, I can waive the permit. So that's why I'm here too. So that way they don't need a permit; it's all legal. So therefore, please don't get hit by a car, 'cause this is on me now,” Pruhs said.
Across 8th Avenue from City Hall is Veterans Memorial Park, which is a borough park, where Ken Miller had four barbecues fired up.
“I'll let people figure out what they are doing and I'll just reserve a spot where I could be, get a permit for it, and feed people,” Miller said.
He and his friends gave away 400 hotdogs with condiments.
There were no problems with the Fairbanks protest, and no reports of arrests nor serious injury from the hundreds of events across the country on Saturday.
