COEUR d’ALENE — As Lisa Nunlist stood along U.S. 95 during Saturday’s demonstration, part of a nationwide "Day of Action," she couldn’t help but think of her late father, a veteran who served in several major wars.

“The same flag that some are disrespecting was draped over my father’s casket,” Nunlist said.

The Coeur d’Alene resident said the political climate at both the local and national level is what drove her to join the about 100 people who had gathered with signs and flags along U.S. 95 at Appleway Avenue.

Several similar demonstrations have been staged at the busy intersection since President Donald Trump took office.

“(What) we’re seeing is not American, not Christian,” Nunlist said, citing her opposition to private school tax credits and policies that restrict minors from accessing certain materials in public libraries.

Phyllis K. of Spirit Lake shared similar sentiments.

“Public education and libraries are our eyes to the world,” she said.

Similar visibility events took place in over 350 cities across the U.S., part of an ongoing series of demonstrations organized by the 50501 movement in opposition to the Trump administration.

Many local demonstrators held signs demanding the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, a bipartisan point of contention in recent weeks.  

At 80 years old, Phyllis K. said she has remained civically engaged to encourage people to educate themselves.

“I’ve watched all of this happen already over the years,” Phyllis said. “Read a book. Learn your history.”  

    About 100 people participated in a demonstration along U.S. 95 in Coeur d'Alene on Saturday.
  

    Demonstrators hold signs demanding the release of the Epstein files during Saturday's protest along U.S. 95 in Coeur d'Alene.
  

    A man holds a sign referencing the events of Jan. 6, 2021, during Saturday's protest in Coeur d'Alene.