Federal Way No Kings rally represents local civic engagement trend
Published 9:10 am Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Federal Way joined thousands of demonstrations across the country for a No Kings rally on March 28 at the intersection of South 320th Street and Pacific Highway South.
The event was peaceful, with the most escalated incident coming from an individual driving by who performed a “Heil Hitler” salute out the window toward the protesters.
American flags and statements in support of the constitution and due process were numerous. Many demonstrators told the Mirror that their motivation for participating is out of their patriotism and desire to see the country stay committed to ideals of freedom and democracy.
Other themes focused on criticism of unconstitutional actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents; demands for the full release of the Epstein files; and prosecution of the crimes revealed in those documents related to sex trafficking and pedophilia, especially by those in positions of power.
Two organizations well-represented at this protest included members of the labor union SEIU 925 and Evergreen Coalition, a group bringing together 70 regional Korean American organizations that focus on the pursuit of justice and peace and opposition to war.
Goo Lee is the secretary general of the Federal Way Korean American Association board and a member of the Seattle Evergreen Coalition.
Lee said that he’s very proud as an American, and hopes that President Trump will listen to the people and to Congress and end the war in Iran. He also hopes the president renews commitments to democracy and stops his current actions around ICE and immigration.
If he continues to ignore the will of the people and Congress, Lee said impeachment may be necessary.
“We’ve impeached the president twice in Korea for these same things,” Lee said. “He needs to listen to the people.”
Organizer Harper Villani said that to have 1,500 people show up in a “relatively conservative city shows that there is a lot going on behind the scenes.”
“There’s been so much positive energy … seeing people they recognize and thanking their neighbors,” Villani said. “Hope is fostered among community when you see neighbors showing up.”
Federal Way’s growing civic engagement
From the weekly demonstrations at the corner led by South End Friends for Peace and Justice as well as the massive walkouts by students in the community, to meetings of the Working Families Party in the city and the formation of a Federal Way chapter of Indivisible, a broader representation of civic engagement is becoming more visible in the city.
These more progressive coalitions add to the variety of other groups of engaged citizens, including Stand Up Federal Way, which is both a volunteer group and political advocacy group, and is nonpartisan but leans more conservative.
In last year’s city council election, there were at least five different candidate forums, including a multilingual forum hosted by Mujer al Volante and two new forums, including one focused on arts and culture and another hosted by a church.
Local organizations like Phenomenal She and the Pacific Islander Community Association of Washington (PICA-WA) participated in advocacy days at the state capital during the most recent legislative session. Organizations including Progress Pushers, Build2Lead and the African Young Dreamers Empowerment Program International (AYDEPI) are teaching young people how to advocate for their needs and share solutions with those who have the power to implement real change.
Of the growing power of the youth voice in civic engagement in Federal Way, Villani called it “essential to democracy” to make sure the youth “know their voices matter.”
