This week down on 4th and state, we continued to cover the protests that occur every week at 5 pm. Unfortunately we had to miss them last week due to pressing issues in the community. One element one usually doesn’t think of when they imagine a protest, is the passerbys, as they often make themselves, in a sense, part of the protest through their reactions and remarks, either in opposition, or out of approval. The protest was off to a bit of a fiery start when one passerby yelled several slurs at the protestors before they even fully trickled in, along with the common act of rolling coal on the protestors. Acts such as these are by no means uncommon. On the other hand, more commonly support is expressed, with people honking, or giving thumbs up, or even one group of young men who leaned out their windows to yell in approval. We as well spoke to one of the protestors, Dave, who had driven quite a way just to show his support. What brought him to the protests was January 6, according to him, seeing the capitol stormed was the final straw that made him realize he couldn’t just sit around and silently disapprove, he had to go outside and act. During our talk, he gave a firm warning, “Don’t give away your rights to democracy that you so cherish, because once they’re gone, you can’t get them back.” The protests are a place of community, and sharing ideas for many people, all of whom often come from different groups. It’s not uncommon to see people talking amongst themselves about how we might be better able to address the issues facing our communities. One of these groups is Fix Democracy First, which has pushed forward the Corporate Power Reset plan, a plan to use the fact that corporations are chartered in states to functionally undo the Citizens United ruling, which gives corporations the power to legally influence politics. This is a huge problem, one that even crosses political lines. The vast majority of voters dislike the existence of big corporate donors. Despite this popularity, this plea is often ignored, however legislation inspired by this plan has been passed in Hawaii, and could be passed here in Washington if it was fought for. Overall, the protests are a place where even people who pass by become part of it, it’s a place of discussion, as well as community. It also serves for many as a place where they can have hope, rather than simply letting their sense of determination be sanded away by apathy and inaction.