A Women’s March and immigration rights demonstration in San Francisco merged on Saturday to become an anti-you-know-who rally that drew thousands of people to the city’s Mission District.
With Donald Trump set to return to the country’s highest office in just two days, the anxiety was palpable.
Many women and their allies who joined the event fear reproductive rights will be threatened by the new administration. Immigrants, meanwhile, expressed worry about the feds coming to knock on their doors as Trump ramps up deportations.
Mayela Carrasco, the artistic director of a dance troupe called Loco Bloco, which co-organized the protest, said the problem is bigger than one person.
“People point out Donald Trump, but he’s just the face of something larger happening within our country,” she told The Standard. “We can use our art as a protest.”
The weekend march, which took place along with hundreds of similar events throughout the nation, kicked off with a rally at 24th and Bryant streets, and concluded with another rally at Dolores Park.
Despite the concerns of the attendees, the vibes were electric.
Multiple dance groups took turns performing at the front, back or middle of the march as Mission Street filled with an eclectic crowd that included many attendees who showed up with their friends and family.
“I think it is fitting that the sun is shining down on the Mission today because God is looking down on us,” San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said at the rally before the march. “I see white, I see Asian, I see Latino, I see gay, I see straight, I see old, I see young. We are united for our people.”
Chiu, who was sure to reiterate that San Francisco will, in fact, remain a sanctuary city, was one of many speakers and protestors to push back against what they see as racist and destructive rhetoric towards undocumented immigrants jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal deportation agents.
“As someone with an undocumented father, it sucks to have to worry about them,” said Get Semami, an attendee. “I’m tired of people taking our people and separating our families.”
For many at the protest, like D’Arcy Richardson, the whole thing felt like déjà vu — or a sequel to a movie they hated the first time.
“We are the true Americans,” Richardson said. “We believe in democracy and take care of our neighbors who are less fortunate than us.”
Several protestors dusted off signs they made for protests against the first Trump administration. Except now, they appeared in a sea of pink pussy hats along with likenesses of billionaire CEOs Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk.
Now, many attendees said, the stakes are higher. Unlike in 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court has a conservative majority, and Roe v. Wade has already been overturned.
And, even though the same “not my president” signs made the rounds, like they did eight years ago, Trump actually won the popular vote this time. Still, several protestors said they feel that a silent majority of Americans are on their side.
“This is simply a war on progressive women — a war on strong women,” Gabriela Castelan said.
“We are not going to sit down,” she added. “You can’t wage a war against all of us.”
Thousands of people joined the demonstration. | Source: Magali Gauthier for The Standard
