East Valley Taking Unique Approach to Nationwide Walkout – Hundreds Turn Out

January 20, 2026

Mesa, Arizona – January 20 marks one full year of Donald Trump in office. In response to his authoritarian actions, people around the valley are organizing. People walked out of work at 2pm on January 20, and then congregated at various protests. This marks a significant escalation, as organizations are now moving to ready the country for actions that bring things to a standstill. This walkout targets labor. “If workers and students unite and collectively refuse to let the country move forward as usual, it will bring about significant change,” said one organizer, “This walkout is almost like a training, making people familiar with how to effectively organize.”

After walking out, people gathered at protests to amplify their message. Over 200 people turned out in Gilbert, and East Valley Unite says they aimed to be more efficient in broadcasting their message by holding large signs of letters to spell out the message “Free America From Fascism” over the freeway. “If it’s in your face, you can’t ignore it,” said one organizer, “and that’s what we aim to do on bridges over the freeways.” East Valley Unite calls this type of action a bridge brigade, and the one on the 20th in Gilbert also served as a test drive for a large coordinated message on a series of bridges in the future. 

Since Trump’s inauguration, ICE has kidnapped US citizens without due process, the US military has been used on US soil against peaceful citizens, the longest government shutdown in history occurred, and Republicans in congress took away healthcare from millions of Americans while giving tax cuts to the rich. Just in 2026 Trump illegally attacked Venezuela, and ICE murdered a mother in Minnesota. These are some large issues prompting the walkout. 

In that short time since the inauguration, 3 of the 5 largest protests in American history occurred, all opposing the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration. 3 million people in April, 5 million in June, and then 7 million for the October No Kings protest showed the massive scale of the resistance. “We are walking out as a more directly impactful action.” one organizer says, “We are walking away from fascism, and towards a future in which there is a free America for all of us.”