Organizer Bethy Whalen called through the April bluster to the crowd of several dozen gathered outside of Bethel’s Yupiit Picaryarait Cultural Center.
“Literally no one standing here or anyone else in town has not been affected by what's going on in the federal government,” she said. “And so I just personally want to say thank you for coming. Thank you for speaking up, especially on this beautiful protest day.”
The crowd chuckled as flurries of wet snow fell over them. But even through the wintery mix, their signs could be read clearly. A cluster of “de-musk America” and “hands off Medicaid” slogans waved from gloved hands.
“We in Bethel are not going to let the weather keep us down,” said Whalen. “We're not going to let cuts to essential services keep us down, and we're not going to let all of the chaos keep our spirits down. We're going to keep fighting and keep speaking truth to power until we live in the country that we want to live in.”
As the protesters began their procession to Watson’s corner — the city’s central traffic intersection — nearly every marcher held a sign. Some of them were made by artist Atsaq John Oscar using scraps of canvas to paint long ribboned proclamations, like “hands off social security” and “Musk go home.”
“These are my scrap canvas,” Oscar said. “I started having my little granddaughter working on them. I said, ‘Hey, these are six feet long and just drag for, you know, a windy day.' ”
He said the national choices made by the administration hit home.
“Bethel has got the majority employer is the federal government with the hospital, and then there's LKSD [Lower Kuskokwim School District], and those are two major employees, besides Alaska Commercial Company and other businesses around town,” Oscar said. “And it does affect everybody here in the region, basically.”
Protester Amy Hendricks held a sign reading “none of us are safe.”
“I did not make this sign, but I think it resonates with me. We got a lot of women here. We have a lot of folks that are on Medicaid. We have a good representation of people here,” Hendricks said. “And I think it's true, none of us are safe in this Trump administration.”
Protester Ron Kaiser’s sign read “America, check your shoes. I smell Doge s***.”
“I'm just frustrated,” Kaiser said. “It's unbelievable what's happening. And you know, you just got to stand up and be heard.”
Jaela Milford was another organizer of the event. She said it’s important to participate in a day of national protest and said the event is in partnership with Need Change 2025 and 50501, a day of national protest.
“We are out here protesting the overreach of the executive branch and what Trump and Elon Musk are currently doing to our government,” Milford explained. “They are systematically stripping everything from what we hold dear here in Bethel, lots of programs, lots of ways of life, and they are destroying our livelihood.”
Milford said the trickle down of these national orders are felt locally, even in a small community in the westernmost corner of the country.
“I think, honestly, it matters even more to us out here, just because a lot of our programs are federally based and they're getting systematically stripped literally every single day, grants, programs," Milford said. "Bethel will not be the same if we don't have this support from the federal government.”
Protester Alyssa Leary's sign read "Hands off, Medicaid, Social Security, free speech, CDC, EPA, veteran services.”
Leary said under the current administration, the changes have felt non-stop.
“I'm sick of hearing the word unprecedented,” Leary said. ”Every day, there's something new that's never, we've never heard of before, and they're doing it all shamelessly and cruelly. And I’m not in support of how we're treating immigrants, and I don't know, it's just like we've lost, we've lost humanity and everything that is coming from this administration right now. And it's really sad and really frustrating, and it's just good to be with other community members that feel the same way.”
Protester Kathy Hanson echoed this sentiment, saying the presence of fellow community members feels like part of the solution.
“I feel better. I was, I was kind of thinking, I wonder how many people show up. Maybe people aren't even thinking about it the same way I am. And then all these people showed up. It's great,” Hanson said. “It makes me feel more hopeful. [It] really does.”
The protesters marched back to Bethel's cultural center after waving signs at Watson's corner, where the rally eventually dissolved.
