Holding handmade signs and chanting phrases like, “This is what democracy looks like,” hundreds of people gathered last Tuesday, Jan. 20 — exactly one year since Donald Trump was sworn into office — at Waterfront Park in downtown San Diego. Protestors participated in simultaneous demonstrations across San Diego in El Cajon, Encinitas, Escondido, and National City.
Organized by the Women’s March as part of a nationwide “Free America Walkout,” demonstrators marched to protest the Trump administration’s policies.
Protesters gathered in front of the San Diego County Administration Center before marching around the building holding signs that read, “ICE out of SD,” “Hate will never make us great,” and “Resist.”
A flyer posted online by the Women’s March described the consequences of Trump’s second term, arguing that “a deeper wave of misogyny, racism, xenophobia, and violence” was always the administration’s plan. The flyer called for an escalation in protests and marches, voicing opposition against the administration.
Ryan Hill, an organizer with the Democratic Socialists of America, reflected on its value and the need to take further action following the protest.
“The important thing is to take this energy and take this passion that is so palpable in the air when you’re at something like this and make sure that you can capture that and push it into building serious change from the ground up,” Hill said.
Several San Diego residents, along with organizers from the Women’s March and DSA San Diego, spoke to the crowd following the march.
Speakers criticized the Trump administration’s increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, military actions in Venezuela, and threats toward Greenland. They described Trump as a “fascist” and as only being interested in helping “corporate billionaires.”
As protests took place across the nation, Trump addressed White House reporters in a press conference, touting his administration’s various “accomplishments” on issues like affordability and immigration. For about 10 minutes, he displayed mugshots of “criminal illegal aliens” arrested for various crimes including sexual assault and domestic violence.
San Diego Police Department officers were present at the protest. There have not been any known police incidents reported at the San Diego demonstrations.
The Women’s March will continue to host protests across the nation for the next several days.