May Day protest planned at Coeur d'Alene's U.S. 95, Appleway

Coeur d’Alene’s May Day honk-and-wave turned the intersection of U.S. 95 and Appleway Avenue into a visible stage for local political expression, drawing around 100 protesters of all ages and a rolling counterprotest of trucks and vehicles displaying flags. The gathering showed how quickly one of the city’s busiest corridors can become a focal point for public dissent in Kootenai County.

Organizers set the event for 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. and framed it as part of a national day of action tied to labor struggles and public investment. Their release called on participants to step away from normal routines for the afternoon and spelled out demands to tax the rich, oppose what they described as a private army serving authoritarian power, and protect voting rights by expanding democracy rather than corporate power. The group said the protest was nonviolent and aimed at accountability and an end to corporate greed.

The turnout also reflected the way national politics has been mapped onto local streets. By choosing U.S. 95 and Appleway Avenue, organizers put their message directly in front of motorists moving through central Coeur d’Alene, where visibility is part of the strategy. The demonstration was not an isolated gesture but part of a coordinated effort that linked local activists in North Idaho with similar actions across the country.

The May Day crowd fit a broader pattern of visible political organizing in Kootenai County. A Labor Day “Workers over Billionaires” protest along U.S. 95 drew about 200 people last fall, and some motorists responded with honks, waves and cheers. Taken together, those gatherings show that Coeur d’Alene’s highway corridors have become recurring venues for organized public protest, where local turnout now serves as a barometer of civic tension as much as a display of political identity.