SPOKANE, Wash. — People gathered in Riverfront Park on Saturday to hold a “funeral for democracy.”
The event was meant to give the opportunity for community members to mourn the loss of programs that have been rolled back since the passing of the Trump administration’s Big Beautiful Bill.
RELATED: Healthcare costs expected to rise for Washington small business owners
The protest was put together by Spokane Indivisible, a progressive group that has held several demonstrations against President Donald Trump. Saturday’s event had musicians, a coffin and people holding marked tombstones.
“Democracy is ‘Rest in Peace,'” said Joanne Lopata, who attended the procession. “We have a very difficult situation today that can not be changed unless people show up.”
Organizers said around 200 people attended the event. Despite the name of the protest, those in attendance said they felt a positive energy and strength in their unity.
“I loved it, I loved the respect shown, the honor shown for our losses. It is grief, it is mourning, it is theater but it is real,” said Eileen Martin, who organized the event over the past two months.
Martin said the use of coffins was inspired by a national trend symbolizing the consequences of the Big Beautiful Bill.
COPYRIGHT 2025 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
