By time the crowds had come and gone, a 1,000 San Diegans from all over the County had rallied in front of the County Admin Building denouncing Trump, Musk and the policies of the new authoritarian administration.
The “No Kings On President’s Day” protest was one of dozens across the nation, many organized by the 50501 Movement — referring to “50 states, 50 protests, one day” — and were started by grassroots organizers spreading the word on social media platforms.
“We witness, with growing alarm, how our constitutional rights are trampled upon, how the authority of the President is being usurped by those who seek to consolidate power for personal gain,” 50501 said in a statement.
“Meanwhile, President Trump systematically dismantles the very guardrails designed to ensure accountability across the branches of government.”
“We stand firm at a critical moment in history, demanding that the American people be heard and that the White House be governed by the true will of the people, not by a tech billionaire who seeks to buy influence and control,” the group said in a statement on its website.
The movement has openly opposed Trump’s executive orders on immigration and moves to pardon insurrectionists involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the United States Capitol.
At one point, most of the crowd moved closer to the Admin building where a number of impromptu speakers addressed the crowd.
Even though there were several video cameras in the crowd, finding a report about San Diego’s action in the print media was difficult. (Times of San Diego reported only 200 had attended – but apparently their reporter was there early on and didn’t see the obvious greater numbers.)
A separate post will describe the nation-wide protests on Monday, Feb. 17.
