November 7th 2024.
On Wednesday evening, a wave of protesters flooded the streets of San Jose and Berkeley. Their outcry was directed towards both major political parties, one day after the surprising reelection of President-elect Donald Trump. This unexpected result left many political analysts and experts in shock.
In San Jose, approximately 100 protesters gathered near the intersection of South King Road and Story Road. At the same time, a group of around 20 protesters and counter-protesters congregated on the steps of Sproul Hall at UC Berkeley.
As the vote counts began to roll in on Tuesday night, people across the Bay Area gathered at watch parties to witness the results of national and local races. Joy and sorrow were expressed as Trump's victory was announced early Wednesday morning. This led to a quick organization of gatherings in protest of the former president's reelection.
While state officials began preparing for a second Trump presidency and Democrats questioned the shortcomings of Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign, California passed legislation to address crime and expand environmental protections across the state. In addition, the state rejected a rent control ballot measure, and the results of other ballot measures remained undecided.
In San Jose, the protesters stood together holding signs with powerful messages such as "legalization for all! no border militarization" and "ceasefire now." Others displayed signs calling for divestment and an end to U.S. aid to Israel. At times, the crowd chanted "no more deportations" in unison.
This protest was organized by a coalition of groups, including Silicon Valley Immigration Committee, Legalization for All, and San Jose Against War. One of the speakers, Nickolas Saba, 28, from Los Gatos, addressed the crowd, stating that the people did not support Kamala Harris and President Biden in the past four years. He urged the left to channel their energy into organizing, running for office, and reaching out to communities. Saba also suggested organizing for Jill Stein, the Green Party's presidential nominee in several elections.
The protesters then began to march, making their way towards the Mexican Heritage Plaza. On their way, John Duroyan, 22, the president of the San Jose State University chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, addressed the crowd, emphasizing the need for rights and protection for immigrants, regardless of their documentation status. He also expressed concerns about the current administration's policies, stating that it will only worsen the lives of Americans, especially immigrants, workers, and queer individuals.
In a speech at the Heritage Plaza, Duroyan called for the expansion of immigrant rights and emphasized the need to stand in solidarity with Palestine. Philip Nguyen, a speaker from San Jose Against War, also joined in and highlighted the lack of support for Palestine from both major political parties.
The protest came to a peaceful end around 7:30 p.m. in San Jose.
In Berkeley, a similar gathering was organized by the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration and Immigrant Rights and Fight for Equity By Any Means Necessary. Their aim was to protest against the policies of both major political parties in the United States.
As the protest began, a group of four protesters started chanting slogans like "No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA" and "Deportations? Hell no, Donald Trump has got to go." A small group of onlookers, around 50, stopped to witness the demonstration.
The peaceful protest was met with a counter-protest of four men holding signs with messages like "Your rights are fine" and "Trump won, go home." One of the counter-protesters, Martin Bertao, the president of the Berkeley College Republicans, stated that it was essential for people to realize that Berkeley is not just a left-wing lunacy place, and there are individuals with common sense.
Two women who were not affiliated with the organizers joined the demonstration, with one, Gianna Zamora, promising to stay until the pro-Trump demonstrators left. Zamora, a first-year student at UC Berkeley, declared that she was protesting as a Japanese and Mexican American woman.
The protest at UC Berkeley ended around 6 p.m.
This is not the first time that thousands of people have gathered in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and San Jose to protest against Trump's election. In 2016, after his first victory, the protests lasted for several days and resulted in the arrest of 30 individuals.
This is an ongoing situation, and we will continue to provide updates as they come. Stay tuned for more information.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
