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On this Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, rallies and marches were held all over Western Washington.

In Seattle’s Central District, a huge rally and march got underway at Garfield High School Monday morning.

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More than a thousand people gathered and celebrated, then marched through the neighborhood. They carried signs and chanted in celebration.

“As scary as today may be, with what is happening in D.C., I believe in us. I believe in the future for true change and hope and justice,” marcher Monica Mendoza-Cawthon told ³ÉÈËXÕ¾ Newsradio.

There was a significant police presence, needed mostly to control traffic and escort marchers. It was a peaceful march and a show of community unity.

“This my home. This people, this community, I belong to it. We support justice and rights for everyone including immigrants,” marcher Amos Shirman said.

Marches were also held in several other cities.

, a Baltimore museum featured “A Dare to Dream Day” and San Franciso hosted a parade and march.

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With MLK Day falling on inauguration day, there were also those protesting the Israeli/Hamas war and ceasefire, presidential pardons, immigration and other issues past and present that affect everyone’s futures.

“This is a day a lot of Americans should take a good hard look at itself and wonder why we are here in this state of affairs,” marcher Cliff Cawthon said.

The march forced the closure of many streets, but traffic wasn’t too bad, mostly because it was a holiday.

James Lynch is a reporter at ³ÉÈËXÕ¾ Newsradio. You can read more of James’ stories here. Follow James on , or email him here.