For roughly 30 minutes on Monday morning, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and only around two hours after Donald Trump was inaugurated as president of the United States for the second time, three women stood along the Kenai Spur Highway with signs sharing quotes by King, also calling for love and resistance.

The small protest was organized by Diane Peterson, who said she felt “this overwhelming need to do something” when faced with the start of Trump’s second presidency and the policies he espoused throughout his successful reelection campaign.

Top of mind, Peterson said, was a desire repeatedly described by Trump and included in a slew of executive orders on Monday to challenge the citizenship of children born in the United States to immigrants who lack citizenship of their own — though that citizenship is enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. That move, Peterson said, would “put a whole part of our society into a state of fear.”

“Resist” was written on Peterson’s sign, which she said meant speaking out about her beliefs and for those who can’t stand up for themselves.

“For so long, I didn’t speak my mind,” she said. “I kept silent. I felt so intimidated saying anything against what was going on with Trump and with his policies. This time around, I just can’t be silent.”

The fear was still there, Peterson said, but she said she needed to speak her own mind and felt emboldened by the two women who showed up to stand with her.

The group stood across the parking lot from conservative social club and coffee shop Ammo-Can Coffee. Peterson said the spot was chosen because of the large flags with Trump slogans hanging in the windows.

Ammo-Can owner Jason Floyd spoke with the women on the sidewalk while also recording them with his phone. He told them that he felt that he and his business were being targeted by the protest for his differing views and asked the three women to move down the road to an intersection.

Peterson said she didn’t intend to target Floyd, but that his storefront clearly broadcasts Trump iconography and messaging in Soldotna.

“It’s unfortunate that it’s hanging in somebody’s business, but it’s also putting it out there into the public space,” Peterson said. “I feel I have the right to free speech and to say what I need to say.”

Ammo-Can on Facebook called for a “flash Trump rally” immediately after the protest, writing that people could wave flags for Trump on the same sidewalk for a free cup of coffee. Floyd did not respond to the Clarion’s request for comment sent via a Facebook direct message.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

Diane Peterson, Casady Herding and Jen Brighton stand with signs sharing Martin Luther King Jr. quotes are calling to “Resist” along the side of the Kenai Spur Highway in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Diane Peterson, Casady Herding and Jen Brighton stand with signs sharing Martin Luther King Jr. quotes are calling to “Resist” along the side of the Kenai Spur Highway in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)