Women’s Marches fill streets
Bay Area rallies draw thousands protesting Trump
Countless pink knit hats came out of storage as tens of thousands of protesters shouted and streamed through downtown San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and other communities in the second incarnation of the Women’s March.
In San Francisco, an enormous crowd jammed Civic Center Plaza for a rally, then marched down Market Street to the Embarcadero in a wave of people that stretched for blocks. In Oakland, the protesters crowded the shore of Lake Merritt, then made their way to City Hall.
Other Northern California crowds gathered in Walnut Creek, Pacifica and even firedup Chico in Butte County.
The raucous and peaceful local events were part of dozens of marches around the U.S. and the world to protest
NEW YORK — People participating in marches in the United States and around the world walked in support of female empowerment and denounced President Trump’s views on immigration, abortion, LGBT rights and women’s rights on the anniversary of his inauguration.
Tens of thousands marched in cities up and down the West Coast. Actress Viola Davis addressed members of the Los Angeles crowd, many of whom carried signs like “Real news, fake president.” In Park City, Utah, where the annual Sundance Film Festival is in full swing, actress Jane Fonda and nationally known attorney Gloria Allred joined the women’s march.
Meanwhile, Trump tweeted Saturday that it was a “perfect day” for women to march to celebrate the “economic success and wealth creation” that’s happened during his first year in office — while women across the nation rallied against him and his policies.
“Get out there now to celebrate the historic mile-
stones and unprecedented economic success and wealth creation that has taken place over the last 12 months,” the Republican wrote. “Lowest female unemployment in 18 years!”
But demonstrators denounced Trump’s views with colorful signs and even saltier language. Oklahoma City protesters chanted “We need a leader, not a creepy tweeter!”
Members of the group Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women of Seattle burned sage and chanted in front of Seattle’s rainy march.
In Richmond, Va., the crowd burst into cheers when a woman ran down the middle of the street carrying a pink flag with the word “Resist.”
The march in Washington on Saturday took on the feel of a political rally when Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, DSan Francisco, urged women to run for office and vote to oppose Trump and the Republicans’ agenda.
“We march, we run, we vote, we win,” Pelosi said to applause.
People gathered from Montpelier to Milwaukee, from Shreveport to Seneca Falls.
“I think right now, with the #MeToo movement, it’s even more important to stand for our rights,” said Karen Tordivo, who marched in Cleveland with her husband and 6-year-old daughter.
In Palm Beach, Fla., home to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, several hundred people gathered carrying antiTrump signs before marching. There, a group of women wearing red cloaks and white hats like the characters in the book and TV show “The Handmaid’s Tale” marched in formation, their heads bowed.
Cathy Muldoon, a high school librarian from Dallas, Pa., took her two teenage daughters to the New York rally and said marching gives people hope. She said this year’s action is set against the backdrop of the Trump presidency, which “turned out to be as scary as we thought it would be.”
“I’ve not seen any checks and balances,” she said. “Everything is moving toward the right, and we have a president who seems to have no decency.”
Earlier Saturday, dozens of activists gathered in Rome to denounce violence against women and express support for the #MeToo movement. They were joined by Italian actress and director Asia Argento, who made headlines after alleging in 2017 she had been sexually assaulted by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in the 1990s.
Weinstein has apologized for causing “a lot of pain” with “the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past,” but he has denied “any allegations of nonconsensual sex.”