Attendees were so engaged in the all-day event that they stayed through a power outage

Leah Anaya 
for Clark County Today

Patriots United hosted a large event at the Clark County Event Center Saturday themed The Great Northwest Awakening. Speakers ranged from local activists to those who were flown in from around the nation to discuss issues that concern many conservatives, including medical freedom, parental rights, election integrity and ballot harvesting, government overreach, and finding real solutions to protecting family values. Hundreds of people gathered for the full-day event, staying put even through a power outage. 

Though each speaker focused on a different specific topic, the main theme of the event was encouraging people to get involved with the issues that matter to them most. When discussing why he felt led to put on this major event in Clark County, Patriots United founder Mike Terry said, “We have this amazing spirit in us, to create and innovate and inspire. We need to keep that spirit alive.” Terry noted that the power outage was due to a car hitting a pole nearby, which impacted 2,000 locations.

“The Great Northwest Awakening,” Terry told Clark County Today, “was a massive day of unity amongst We The People with over 1,000 attendees throughout the day! We were faced with adversity as the power went out, but we didn’t quit. We modeled for Clark County, the Northwest, and our United States what it looks like to persevere when faced with adversity. We have way more that unites us than divides us!” 

Quincy Franklin, an independent journalist who goes by the title Black Conservative Preacher, spoke on the time he spent “street preaching” in Portland as well as Seattle; Berkeley (California), Washington D.C., and more. “Instead of us following God, family, and country,” he said, “we’ve gone to following politics first and God maybe as a second. If we want a change in America, we have to be putting out the truth. I stand more on the Word of God than on what the media says. Our nation doesn’t have the blessing and the hand of God anymore. We’ve stepped too far away. People don’t want to hear that but that’s why we need to be speaking the truth.”

Gubernatorial candidate Semi Bird made the trip from Tri-Cities to speak at the event as well, focusing his speech on the need to “stand for America” and his belief that the flag represents all citizens, regardless of “race, color, creed, etc.” He said, I am vested in our country. I served in the military, and I took an oath to defend our country from all enemies, foreign and domestic. I’ve never fought harder for our homeland than right now. I stand by the Constitution. It means something to me. I am asking you to stand with me to stand for America.”

Bird continued by saying crime has gotten out of control in the state. “We will make crime illegal again,” he said. “We will support our law enforcement, hold prosecutors accountable, and enforce the rule of law.” Regarding education, he said, “We will hold our schools to higher standards,” saying he envisions bringing them back to a place where students perform better because teachers focus on real education, not things like CRT. He also said that he plans to make Washington state energy independent with clean nuclear energy. “We are going to make Washington state the tourist capital west of the Mississippi,” he said.

State Representative Jim Walsh, who is also the chairman of the Washington State Republican Party, discussed crime as well, saying, “We will fight crime by enabling the police and sheriffs to do their jobs. We will fix public policy to deliver a positive quality of life to all Washingtonians. ALL Washingtonians.”

Walsh also mentioned an incident that hasn’t been widely reported out of King County, where the main tabulation calculator from the last election was switched in a way that violated the law. “This is not a conspiracy theory,” Walsh said, “or ‘fringe’ thinking. We have the documents that show it. This happened. Then they say, well, ok it happened but it didn’t change anything. That is not the point. It went against the law and it discourages people from voting. It leads to mistrust in the election system in a time where we need to be working to gain back people’s trust. We will demand that the law be followed in all 39 counties. The most important part of elections is getting out the vote. Low turnout is a big issue. We will organize and get those ballots collected and turned in.”

Glen Morgan of the watchdog group We the Governed discussed the six initiatives currently being pushed. “We can all get on board with these, no matter your political affiliation,” he said. “Three give us lower taxes. There’s making sure parents are allowed to be involved with their kids. Making sure police can chase criminals. What a novel idea. These are common sense initiatives.” Information on the six initiatives can be found at LetsGoWashington.com.

The chairman of the Clark County Republican Party, Matt Bumala, briefly spoke and encouraged people to get involved with the party efforts. “We can’t just hold the line anymore,” he said. “We have to be on the offensive and push back. We are done watching our county and our country get destroyed. It’s time to get involved.” He shared a flyer and a QR code that allows people to easily find where to go to sign up to volunteer and stay informed with a newsletter.

Congressional candidate Joe Kent, who has been endorsed by both the Clark County and Washington State Republican Party, was another speaker at the event. “I’m grateful for the welcomed response I received at the event,” he said. “It’s encouraging to see so many engaged and committed to saving our country.”

Other speakers included Seth Keshel and Dr. Doug Frank, who have both been heavily involved with election integrity across the nation, Suzanne Gallagher of Parents Rights in Education (PRIE), who of course discussed the importance of parents asserting their rights when it comes to their children, and Dr. Bryan Ardis, who has done multitudes of research on coronavirus.

Ryan Weaver, a two-time Gold Star recipient and 21-year Army veteran, entertained attendees at the conclusion of the speaking portion of the event with a full country concert.

Patriots United is dedicated to changing the trajectory of our state from radical liberal ideology back to conservative values. Donations can be made by clicking HERE.