Rainy, cold weather doesn’t deter Jan. 6 protesters on BI
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, January 7, 2026
About 40 people attended the annual Jan. 6 protest at the corner of Winslow Way and Highway 305, braving chilly temperatures and steady rain to condemn fascism and stand up for democracy.
Members of Kitsap activist organizations and passionate individuals gathered at Waypoint Park with flags, signs, music, and instruments to call attention to the anniversary of the now-infamous right-wing attack on the White House during the 2021 transfer of power from President Donald Trump to former President Joe Biden.
Nationally, protests in support of democracy have flourished, but Jan. 6 is not just a time to remember and reject, explained Poulsbo pro-democracy activist Claudia Gorbman.
“We gather today to remember this assault on democracy and to pledge not to let it happen again. But — is that what we’re doing? When you think about it, our enduring shock at January 6 is rather quaint,” said Gorbman.
Gorbman went on to list several other events that could warrant the same degree of public outcry: the third week of Oct. 2025, when Trump began to demolish portions of the White House to build a ballroom; the recent arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and attacks on Venezuelan boats dating back to November that killed 80 people; the March 15 arrest of Kilmar Ábrego Garcia, a legal immigrant who was unlawfully arrested and sent to a brutal Salvadorean prison; Feb. 1, when the Department of Governmental Efficiency began dismantling The U.S. Agency for International Development; the Jan. 24 appointment of Pete Hegseth to the position of Secretary of Defense; or July 4, when Trump signed the “Big Beautiful Bill.”
“A few people died on Jan. 6; broken windows here, some human feces and urine there, boots on Nancy Pelosi’s desk,” said Gorbman. “This is also a time of action by the people, sending the message that we stand united against fascism, just as folks in Chicago came out in their pajamas and blew whistles to push ICE out of their neighborhood, just as Jack Smith and Zohran Mamdani stand up to political bullying, the people will keep showing up loudly and non-violently, in the sun or in the rain, wearing inflatable frog suits, carrying signs and chanting — demanding accountability, and calling for impeachment for the assaults on decency and sanity that occur every day, not just Jan. 6.”
Pam Keeley, Gorbman’s partner and fellow activist, explained that the pair had been rallying in support of democracy at Poulsbo’s Waterfront Park every Sunday for about a year. They began by doing some community organizing — hosting book readings and showing videos “to anticipate what was coming,” Keeley said.
“After the election, it was very clear we needed to move into public demonstrations,” she said.
