Renton resident Scott Gideon is sick of rising taxes. And, judging from the crowd of protesters that gathered Wednesday afternoon outside Renton City Hall, Gideon’s not alone.

Clutching signs, red, white and blue balloons and American flags, a large group stomped outside City Hall during the noon hour Wednesday.

Some of the protesting signs were inked with the letters TEA. That’s an acronym for Taxed Enough Already. The protest outside Renton City Hall was just one of hundreds of TEA parties held Wednesday, April 15 — the day U.S. federal tax returns must be filed or an extension requested.

Like many of Wednesday’s Renton protesters, Gideon headed to the gathering on his lunch break. He heard about the TEA party on the radio. The protests were publicized nationwide on the radio and Internet.

“A lot of people are protesting just the attitude of the local, state and national government going into debt to try to get the economy going,” Gideon said.

Business should be stimulated by cutting taxes, not by raising them, Gideon added.

Renton’s protest did not cause a disruption, said Paul Cline, Patrol Division commander for Renton Police Department.

“They wanted to make their point, and they did it in a way that was legal and orderly,” He said. “They made their point and left.”