News

Kodiak joins national "Hands Off" movement and protests

KMXT | By Brian Venua

Published April 8, 2025 at 8:00 AM AKDT

Protesters hold signs near Kodiak's sole traffic light downtown. Many shared dissent with Trump and Musk's policies and cuts to federal programs.

The movement targets Elon Musk and President Donald Trump, protesting the federal government's sweeping budget cuts. More than 1,300 protests were held across the country, with several in Alaska including Ketchikan, Juneau, Anchorage, Bethel, and Nome.

It’s cold and stormy but about 200 people line the Y in downtown Kodiak– one of the busiest intersections on the island.

This protest is just one of more than a thousand both across Alaska and nationwide showing their disapproval of the Trump administration’s policies.

“We’re probably not going to make much of an impact – we’ll have a little blip on the map, but we’re part of millions of other people around the country who are saying this is not acceptable,” said Anthony White, the local organizer.

Anthony White speaks to a crowd gathered at the Kodiak Island Brewing Co. The brewery also served as a place for some protesters to warm up for breaks and after they were done standing in the rain and wind.

White’s particularly concerned about staffing and budget cuts to programs like social security, and the U.S. Department of Education. But those aren’t the only ones.

Departments like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and its National Weather Service as well as the National Parks and Forestry Services have all faced layoffs or budget cuts.

Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE, or Department of Government Efficiency, have argued the cuts are an attempt to better address the national debt of over $36 trillion.

The U.S. national debt in the last century. — The U.S. national debt in the last century as calculated by the federal government.

White said he’s concerned about the debt too. But he wants any cuts to be more strategic and to pressure politicians like Trump to consider how it will impact people.

“I understand that there’s a lot of issues with spending, wasteful spending,” he said. “That’s going to happen in any sort of big organization such as the federal government, but you don’t just cut it all and expect it all to survive, you plan those things out.”

He said he hopes that protests like this one will help remind others in the community that there are many people who share progressive views in the otherwise conservative area. Trump won in nearly every precinct in House District 5 with a total of 4,351 votes – 54% of the local total.

Protesters hung several flags like these two of the U.S. and Canada's flags flown together to show friendship with the neighboring country. Despite the long-standing alliance, President Trump ordered Canadian goods to be tariffed earlier this year.

This protest is one of the first organized by a new group White calls Kodiak Action Network.

“It is my hope that from this, we could start a movement here locally to help affect change,” White said.

White said he’s new to organizing protests and gathering people for activism. He and other organizers gave out forms and passed out information to people to stay in touch for future protests.

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski and Rep. Nick Begich III are both scheduled to visit Kodiak for ComFish, a fisheries trade show April 15-17. White said he hopes he’ll have a chance to share concerns with them while they’re on the island.

Protesters stand and wave signs from all corners of "the Y" in downtown Kodiak.