Missoula joined a national chorus of dissent on Saturday as thousands marched through the streets of downtown in a “No Kings” protest, part of a coordinated day of action that spanned all 50 states and some 2,000 cities.
The Missoula event began at the XXXXs on North Higgins Avenue and culminated in a rally at Caras Park. The demonstrators — more than 6,000, according to organizers — gathered beneath banners draped over the Beartracks Bridge and held handmade signs that expressed the reasons for their outrage, including immigration-enforcement raids and deportations, a sweeping bill offering tax breaks to the wealthy at the expense of Medicaid, rising anti-LGBTQ sentiment, the U.S. government’s continued support of Israel’s war in Gaza, and growing unease over the erosion of democratic norms under President Donald Trump.
Photographer John Stember was on the ground in Missoula documenting the day as it unfolded.
