More than 400 Sitkans turned out Saturday (10-18-25) to speak out against what they call an escalating abuse of power by President Donald Trump. They joined thousands of others across the state and country, from Maine to Kotzebue.
In Sitka, the “No Kings” protest fell on Alaska Day — also known as Reconciliation Day — the anniversary of the formal transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States.
On top of Noow Tlein, also known as Castle Hill — where on this day, in this spot more than 150 years ago, Alaska was transferred from Russia to the U.S. — Tory O’Connell reads a land acknowledgement. She recognizes Indigenous peoples for their stewardship, as hundreds of Sitkans mill about holding signs reading “Stand Up for Democracy” and “Hate Never Made America Great,” the Russian flag flying in the wind above their heads, marking the spot of the land sale.
Sitkans chant in unison, “Sitka says no czars, no kings on Lingít Aaní,” as they pose for a photo.
Cindy Litman is with Sitkans for Peace and Democracy, a group of about 40 locals who, for about two years, have been holding weekly vigils, protesting the war in Gaza and, more recently, President Trump’s policies. Litman says she was struck by how many people beyond the weekly attendees showed up.
“I think things have reached such a critical threshold now that people who normally participate by voting or participate in their communities in different ways, are concerned enough that our country and our way of life and the things that we value are in jeopardy now, and I think that’s why we have the 400 plus people who came out,” she says.
Mariah Warren is one of the many Sitkans who braved the cold, wet weather to rally on Castle Hill. She carries her baby nephew in a carrier at her front. Her young niece stands by her side carrying a fish-shaped sign reading, “No Kings, Except King Salmon.” Warren says she brought the kids with her because she’s concerned about preserving democracy for the next generation.
“I think that Alaska Day, Reconciliation Day, is an incredibly good reminder that there are so many of us coming from so many different backgrounds, that we’re an incredibly diverse city, state, country, and that we really need to all work together and make sure that we continue being a democracy by the people, for the people, and that everyone is represented, no one is left out, let alone excluded, let alone persecuted,” she says.
Every year in Sitka, Alaska Day is marked by a massive parade, a pie and quilt sale, and a historical reenactment of the transfer.
For the last eight years, many have begun to recognize the day as “Reconciliation Day,” acknowledging the sale of stolen Lingít land from one colonial power to another.
Litman sees a connection between what was happening in 1867 and what’s happening today.
“People in power who were appropriating land, appropriating people who didn’t belong to them, without any respect or any consideration for including those people in any kind of decision making that was going on. And in that way, I see parallels,” Litman says. “People who are in power and who just make decisions that profoundly impact the lives of all the rest of us, without any consideration, without any understanding.”
That history wasn’t lost on 84-year-old Jerry Deppa, who came to Alaska at 20 years old as a wildlife biologist, and moved to Sitka five decades ago. Now, he sits on his lawn chair in the middle of the crowd, holding a sign that reads, “No Kings in America Since 1776.”
“We’re not going to tolerate anybody getting into a position of responsibility and authority undercutting our system,” Deppa says. “No, we are in charge as citizens, and that was our statement today. No czars, no kings, no. A big no.”
Deppa says people all over the country are sharing that message now, speaking out against what he calls an “undercutting of democracy by the current administration.”
“It’s shameful what’s been done,” he says. “So many vital agencies have lost staff, have lost funding. It’s criminal, and we can’t tolerate it. This is a nation of citizens, where we are in charge. We put people in power and we take people out of power.”
Alaskans turned out for No Kings protests across more than a dozen communities on Saturday, with crowds of 2,000 in Anchorage, to about 17 in Port Alexander — more than half of the 31-person town.
