SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Organizers announced Monday that over 80,000 people -- many carrying signs, waving flags and dressed in costumes -- took to the streets this past weekend in San Diego County for "No Kings 2.0" rallies and marches, as part of a nationwide protest against President Donald Trump's policies.
"Power does not live in a title or a system; it always lives with we the people. Our communities showed that again this weekend," 17-year-old No Kings organizer Dane Culbreath said, who spoke at Saturday's Waterfront Park press conference. "Democracy isn't a spectator sport. It's something we must constantly engage in; it's an act. We built a strong coalition, we organized, and on Saturday we once again showed up for our communities across San Diego and America. Together, we have turned our momentum into a movement."
County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe, who also spoke at the Waterfront Park rally in front of downtown San Diego's County Administration Center said she was grateful to see so many people at the rally, urging them to stay involved by voting and attending county Board of Supervisors meetings.
"Trump may not leave the White House after his second term ends, and we need to be thinking about the future," Montgomery Steppe said.
Waterfront Park drew in a fairly large crowd of about 50,000. It was the single largest protest in San Diego County and organizers described them as "peaceful and family-friendly demonstrations (that) took place across more than a dozen communities in San Diego to defend our democracy."
In addition, the city of Carlsbad had a turnout of at least 10,000 demonstrators, according to event organizers.
Crystal Irving, president of the Service Employees International Union, Local 221, also addressed the crowd.
"I'm feeling a lot of energy to resist today," she said. "Billionaire greed is stripping away rights and services from people who need them the most. The opposition has realized that it doesn't have to get along to hurt us. We have to help each other and win for democracy."
Other speakers included union activist Patricia Velasquez, Bobby Wallace of the Kumeyaay Nation, and Allison Gill, a political activist and podcast host.
"We will get through these times," Wallace said. "We have to be like fingers on a hand and cannot be separated."
Gill noted how diverse the crowed was in terms of the generations, and said the rally is the kind of protest Trump is trying to stop.
"He is weak and he is scared, and we can beat him," Gill said.
Some marchers wore inflatable costumes, while one was dressed as Captain America, complete with the iconic shield. As they marched, participants chanted, "we are the people, the mighty, mighty people" and "hey, hey, ho, ho, Donald Trump has got to go."
One person was spotted riding a bike sporting a pro-Trump flag, apparently shadowed by another bicyclist playing music from "The Benny Hill Show."
The downtown San Diego rally and march locations included Waterfront Park, Ruocco Park and San Diego Civic Center Plaza. Other San Diego locations included San Diego State University, Pacific Beach, La Jolla, Mira Mesa, Carmel Valley and Rancho Bernardo.
North County locations included Ramona, San Marcos, Vista and Carlsbad. East County locations were in El Cajon and Borrego Springs. A South Bay rally was held in Chula Vista. Rallies were held across more than 200 cities and locations in California.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, framed the protests as a "Hate America rally."
"Let's see who shows up for that," he said earlier this week. "I bet you see pro-Hamas supporters. I bet you see Antifa types. I bet you see the Marxists in full display. The people who don't want to stand and defend the foundational truths of this republic, and that's what we're here doing every single day."
No incidents were reported at the Waterfront Park event along the Embarcadero. Some protesters were seen thanking police officers who were staged nearby.
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