As a witness calls for Longview Mayor Pro-tem Kalei LaFave’s resignation over a video she captured of the elected official hitting a demonstrator with a “Christ is King” sign, LaFave is encouraging the public to “review the full recording.”
Meanwhile, a co-organizer of Longview’s “No Kings” rally, where the altercation occurred Saturday afternoon, chose to focus on the more than 2,000 locals who filled R.A. Long Memorial Park over the actions of a high-profile counterdemonstrator.
LaFave attended the rally Saturday with the city’s Information Technology Director Mike Sullivan, wearing white hooded sweatshirts that resembled the “Freedom” T-shirt that conservative Christian influencer Charlie Kirk wore on the day he was fatally shot last month.
LaFave posted publicly Saturday on her personal Facebook page that she went to the demonstration “in peace and love.” At the event, however, she said she was “yelled at, spit on, kicked, pushed, called names and criticized for our faith.”
When reached for comment by email, LaFave said she acknowledged the presence of a “short video clip” circulating online, but she said the video “lacks context.”
“My recollection is that there was significant crowding under the gazebo, with pushing, yelling spitting and bumping occurring from multiple directions as people pressed in close,” LaFave said. “At no point did I strike anyone with malicious intent or seek confrontation.”
“My intent throughout was simply to observe and express myself peacefully,” LaFave added.
Andrea Nimmo, who recorded LaFave during a heated exchange with demonstrators under the park gazebo, disagreed with the elected official’s accounts on kicking and spitting.
“Nobody touched her,” Nimmo said. She added that she did not see anyone spit on her.
The gazebo was being used as a focal point in the demonstration, according to Nimmo. Organizers were leading demonstrators with chants when Nimmo said she saw LaFave making a beeline for the center of the gazebo holding up her sign.
Organizers encouraged demonstrators to stay peaceful and not to engage with LaFave. Some demonstrators tried to block LaFave’s path while others guided participants in chants of “No MAGA,” “No Fascists,” and “No Kings!”
“We chose to back away,” Nimmo said.
Sullivan, who is in a relationship with LaFave according to her personal Facebook page, followed behind trying to de-escalate the situation, Nimmo recalled.
“He was actually being very kind,” Nimmo said.
Multiple videos posted to social media under the gazebo showed tensions flaring between the demonstrators and LaFave, with some appearing to show LaFave holding down her sign with two hands before bouncing back up.
Nimmo called LaFave’s behavior “disgraceful,” and plans to call for her resignation in an upcoming council meeting. She added that she was particularly disappointed because she had voted for LaFave in the last election. She said she is disappointed with LaFave’s performance and will not vote for a Republican again.
“Would Jesus be OK with her hitting people with her signs?” Nimmo said.
LaFave in her email said that she attended the rally “as a neutral observer” unaffiliated with any organization or group, and that she sought to express herself peacefully.
“My sign reading ‘Christ is King’ reflected my personal faith and was not intended as a political statement,” LaFave said.
Sue Rutherford with co-organizer Lower Columbia Indivisible estimated the crowd at the park Saturday at around 2,500 people.
LaFave and Sullivan were the only counterdemonstrators she witnessed at the demonstration.
Rutherford did not see the altercation with LaFave up close and declined to comment on it, but she said she supports anyone’s right to peacefully demonstrate — whether she agrees with them or not.
“That’s one of the beauties of our democracy,” Rutherford said. “We have to respect their rights.”
Cowlitz County 50501 Movement estimated turnout at roughly 2,000 people, and called it “the largest protest in the history of Longview.”
Rutherford chose to focus on all the individuals who showed up to speak out against the Trump administration’s moves toward authoritarian rule, rather than LaFave or Sullivan.
“99.99% was No Kings,” Rutherford said.
