This story was originally published by the Alaska Beacon.
As President Donald Trump orders the U.S. military into Los Angeles to confront protesters there, hundreds of Alaskans are preparing to join pro-democracy rallies planned for Saturday.
At least 18 events are scheduled to take place in Alaska, and more than 1,500 are scheduled nationwide as part of the “No Kings” movement, which is organizing to oppose Trump actions.
Dave Musgrave is organizing an event in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, a region north of Anchorage that voted overwhelmingly for Trump last year.
“We want to raise concerns about what this administration is doing. It’s very much an authoritarian overreach,” he said by phone.
Saturday’s events were originally scheduled to counter a military march in Washington, D.C., for Trump’s 79th birthday and the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army.
They’ve taken on a new tone since the president ordered the National Guard and the U.S. Marines to oppose protesters in Los Angeles.
“I think the scene is going to be a gathering of citizens concerned about what has been going on, most recently with Donald Trump sending troops to L.A.,” said Laura Stats, who has been helping organize an event in Juneau, Alaska’s capital city.
Protests were already taking place in Anchorage on Wednesday against the state’s decision to accept people arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Forty-two people were arrested outside the state and flown here by federal officials, according to the Alaska Department of Corrections.
The small demonstration taking place on a weekday is expected to be followed by a much larger event on Saturday, outside the Anchorage offices of Alaska’s three-person congressional delegation.
That demonstration will be followed by a march to the Anchorage Park Strip, where Juneteenth celebrations will be taking place.
Lu Dyer is communications director for Stand UP Alaska, which is helping organize the event.
“We’re protesting Donald Trump violating democratic norms and fanning the flames of fascism in this country, as well (as) on behalf of all the vulnerable folks in this state and outside of it that are falling victim to the president’s self-inflicted chaos,” they said.
In Juneau, the rally will take place near the city’s landmark whale statue. In Palmer, it will be at the intersection of the Glenn Highway and the Palmer-Wasilla Highway.
Other towns, including Kotzebue, Nome, Petersburg, Homer, Haines, Glennallen, Fairbanks, Sitka and Ketchikan, are holding their own events, with a full listing of times and locations on the “No Kings” website.
Betsy Brennan, a Nome resident, said organizers there are “trying to be a presence … and reflect the rallies going on nationwide in a peaceful manner.”
Some pro-Trump commentators have accused protesters of being paid for their participation.
“I’m just like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’” said Courtney Moore, a volunteer with Stand UP Alaska, describing one false statement she heard. “No, I don’t get paid. I hate all of this for free. I’m an OG Trump hater since 2016.”
Musgrave, who plans to be in Palmer, said he expects events across the state to be peaceful.
“What you’re going to find at these rallies are granddads and grannies,” he said. “These are people that never organized before, and they’re worried about their kids and their grandkids … and said, ‘I just can’t abide this.’”
Stats, in Juneau, said she agrees with Musgrave’s description.
“We’re just regular people. We’re just regular folks who want a decent life for our children, for our grandchildren, for our neighbors, for our friends, for people who came to this country in good faith — for people who want a decent life. It feels like that’s what’s being taken away from us,” she said.
Some people who plan to participate in the weekend’s rallies said they’re worried about the possibility of violence by Trump supporters.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has called up that state’s National Guard for potential action against protesters in that state.
Jessica Bowers, a spokesperson for Gov. Mike Dunleavy, said that when it comes to Alaska, “At this time, no Alaska National Guard personnel have been activated, nor has a request for activation been made.”
Austin McDaniel, communications director for the Alaska Department of Public Safety, said that agency isn’t aware of any dangerous or illegal behavior planned as part of the weekend’s events.
“Alaskans regularly demonstrate their First Amendment rights peacefully, and we expect the protests this weekend will be no different,” he said.
In Anchorage, officers from the city’s police department will be near that city’s protest and available to help if needed, said Christopher Barraza, deputy director of community relations for APD.
“As far as we’re currently aware, they’re all supposed to be peaceful protests, but there’s always the chance that something could happen,” he said.
James Brooks is a longtime Alaska reporter, having previously worked at the Anchorage Daily News, Juneau Empire, Kodiak Mirror and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. A graduate of Virginia Tech, he is married to Caitlyn Ellis, owns a house in Juneau and has a small sled dog named Barley.
