The one man “No Kings” protest at Nisqually Wildlife Refuge

While the No Kings protests of October gathered millions, one Washington man staged his own. 

By Ella Walken

One day after a mass anti-Trump protest across the United States, Andrew Mobley posted pictures of his action on the Tacoma subreddit community, detailing the intent behind his sign and the location of this one man “No Kings” protest. One week later, Mobley had a conversation with The Ledger about his unique protest. 

On Oct. 18, a reported 7 million Americans took to the streets to participate in a “No Kings” protest to voice their discontent with the Trump administration. People gathered across all 50 states engaging in protest. Some of these gatherings in large cities such as Boston and New York City included an estimated 100,000 participants. But at Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, Mobley protested alone. 

Mobley chose the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge to bring attention to the suspended Migratory Bird Act of 1918 which prohibited the killing or harming of migratory birds. This act helped species living and migrating with limited harmful human interference. The Trump administration has suspended many of these protections. 

“I’ve been involved in and interested in conservation my whole life,” said Mobley. 

Mobley enjoys Nisqually on a regular basis for both its access to diverse wildlife and accessible trails, ideal for his physical therapy after spinal fusion surgeries. 

“I wanted to find some topic that I could use as a starting point to build a bridge,” said Mobley. “The people who visit the refuge could be a tree-hugging wildlife lover or they could be some conservative gun owner who hunts ducks in Texas. All of us can agree that we’re not going to have ducks to look at or even hunt if we don’t protect them.” 

The Migratory Bird Act is one built in collaboration with neighbors. When the act was first established, the United States and Canada built the parameters of the treaty together. Over the next 60 years, the U.S. would work similarly with Mexico, Japan, and Russia to further implement the protections of the act around the world. 

Mobley added, “collaborating with our neighbors and maintaining those good relationships is critical.” 

According to Canadian Minister Mark Carney, the once deeply collaborative relationship with the United States is “over.” 

With his personal connection in mind, Mobley staged his protest on the federal property of the wildlife refuge and directly under the flagpole flying the stars and stripes. His sign included an image from the 1984 video game “Duck Hunt” with the intent to connect with those from Generation X, born between 1965 and 1980, and younger. The poster read, “A great nation keeps its promises.”  

“Our country made these relationships and kept these promises through the depression, through world wars, through the cold war,” said Mobley. 

When asked about what gives him hope in this moment of uncertainty and chaos, Mobley said, “every time we’ve had one of these crises, our country has come out better. I have to have some optimism that we can do better.”