UPDATE – Oct. 20, 2025. 11:10 a.m. – The official headcount done by event organizers counted 1634 protesters who attended the event. We have updated the article to meet this count versus our original roughly 600 estimate. 

As a part of the larger national movement, the Walla Walla community held its own “No Kings” protest on Oct. 18, 2025. This is the second such protest held in Walla Walla, following the “Hands Off!” protest which took place on April 5 earlier this year, and a sequel to the national “No Kings” protest held in June.

Roughly 1600 people gathered outside the Walla Walla Courthouse at 12 p.m., accompanied by friends, family and dogs as demonstrators carried signs, flags and wore inflatable frog (and axolotl) costumes. One of the event organizers, Maria Garcia, got the protest underway. She spoke to the community, detailing community guidelines to keep the protesters safe and operate within the rules of their protesting permit as they marched around town. 

Nova Castles, ‘27, helped to organize a group of students who went to the courthouse from campus to join the protest. They coordinated with the Walla Walla Activism Network, a group they said was developed for those who are unhappy with the current political climate.

“That means, in this case … standing up for our community, standing up for our neighbors because that matters,” Castles said. 

The main focus of Walla Walla’s “No Kings” protest was to call on businesses to protect the 4th Amendment rights of employees and patrons against illegal search and seizure. 

“Businesses have a right to deny ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents access to their property and access to their workers,” Castles said, “and so we’re pressuring businesses to do that by requiring ICE to have a warrant to enter their property or talk to their workers.” 

“Businesses have an absolute responsibility to protect the community, be inclusive and stand up for people’s rights always,” Tiffany Sinclair, owner of Skye Gardens in downtown Walla Walla, said. “You are a public figure in your own way, and it’s very important to stand up for people. That’s been [a goal] from day one for me: support for everyone and [remaining] all-inclusive.”

Around 12:20 p.m., 1634 protesters took to the sidewalks and marched eastward on Main Street toward downtown. After making it past the Wala Wala Plaza, the march crossed to the north side of Main Street before turning around to march back to the courthouse. Once they arrived, protesters began to depart. However, a large crowd of protesters gathered in front of the courtyard to continue conversing and building connections within the community.

Protesters spent time together listening to music, dancing, waving flags and talking amongst one another. For Rodney Outlaw, a member of Comon Pholk, a group Outlaw describes as “community leaders who are also MCs”, that’s what the protest is truly all about.

“[It’s] the show of strength in numbers,” Outlaw said. I think a lot of the time, all of us [have] got the right idea to do great work for this community we love, but we forget that there’s a large amount of us in the community that will do to work together. No one person has to do it alone.” I think that’s the most important part. It shows our community that we are all for change and progress for everyone that’s in our community when it comes to safety, when it comes to opportunity, when it comes to access.” 

“It’s a way of seeing that other people are feeling similar to you and not feeling like you’re alone,” Danielle Leatherman said. “Collective power is important. There’s a large group of us who do not agree with what’s going on… and we will stand with each other through this. People are scared, and this is a good way of feeling like we can fight back.”

Castles spoke on the transition of Generation Z, going from being considered one of the most active activist generations to being seen as mostly apathetic following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“That’s exactly why it’s important for us to stand up, because when we don’t, that’s how we end up with the fascist authoritarianism that we’re seeing today,” Castles said. When you stop caring, that’s what happens, and so our responsibility is to care and carry that torch.”

While the march garnered significant attention locally and others around the country also received major media coverage, community members expressed that this single act of protest is only one piece of the puzzle as demonstrators seek to make change. 

“Just because you’re not out here today doesn’t mean that you can’t help,” Outlaw said. “We need behind-the-scenes help. We need logistics people. The work has to continue more than just the day that we march. We have to do the work each and every day. So, even if you can’t make it out here today, there’s still work to do tomorrow. Don’t beat yourself up; have grace with yourself. Show up in the way that’s meaningful to yourself… with a purpose and a reason, not because someone peer pressured you to show up.” 

Saturday’s second round of “No Kings” protests saw a national attendance across nearly every major American city and thousands of small towns, with attendance nationwide in the millions.