Thousands March In Downtown San Diego For 'Hands Off' Protest

SAN DIEG, CA — Thousands of people congregated in downtown San Diego Saturday to demonstrate against Trump administration policies, in one of several gatherings in the county and across the nation. The "Hands Off" protests rallied against the administration's spending cuts, mass layoffs and other policies.

According to the San Diego Police Department, around 12,000 individuals participated in the downtown event.

Demonstrators gathered prior to noon at the Civic Center Plaza.

In a telephone interview, Richard Cannon of Indivisible North County said Saturday's march announces that "people are paying attention, people are motivated and they're not going to wait around for their elected officials to save them," he said.

"We're going to out into the streets and make our voices heard regardless if our representative want to hold town halls or not," Cannon said. "We just see this as the first significantly large event in a very long line of events that we're going to plan all year."

Along with thousands of residents, two U.S. House representatives from San Diego -- Democrats Sara Jacobs and Scott Peters -- were in attendance, Cannon said, adding that the march also included state Assemblyman Chris Ward, local organized labor officials Brigette Browning and Crystal Irving, and noted local community activists.

Cannon said there may have been one or two agitators at the march, but volunteer peacekeepers were on hand to de-escalate any situation.

"I didn't even see hecklers, which is kind of surprising," he added.

There were two medical emergencies related to the march including a case of heat exhaustion, according to the SDPD.

Cannon earlier told City News Service that "things (were) going great" a half-hour into the march. "Looks like a really good turnout, great vibe," he wrote in a text message.

In an Instagram video post, Rep. Jacobs described the San Diego crowd as "incredible, it just kept going."

"I am just feeling so incredibly inspired," said Jacobs, who represents the 51st Congressional District, adding that she said she heard stories about what the budget cuts mean to people and their lives.

"I'm ready to go back to D.C. and to keep fighting and to keep making sure we are doing everything we can from Congress, while working with everyone who made their voice heard today to push back," Jacobs said.

According to the SDPD, which handled some traffic control downtown, the march had been peaceful. One source told CNS that about 2,000 people had already gathered at the Civic Center in front of Golden Hall, nearly an hour before the march was to begin.

As many as 10,000 people were expected before the day was over. Local elected officials and community activists were expected to attend the rally, which will culminate with a march toward the Hall of Justice.

Another protest in Encinitas was peaceful as of early Saturday afternoon, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Office.

Organizers of the national movement call it an effort "to stop the most brazen power grab in modern history. Trump, (Elon) Musk, and their billionaire cronies are orchestrating an all-out assault on our government, our economy and our basic rights."

Other "Hands Off!" rallies set to take place throughout the county Saturday included:

-- Borrego Springs, at Christmas Circle Community Park, starting at 10 a.m.;
-- Carlsbad, at Tamarack Beach, Carlsbad Boulevard and Pine Avenue, starting at 10 a.m.;
-- Encinitas, at Encinitas Boulevard and El Camino Real, starting at 11 a.m.;
-- Oceanside, at North Coast Highway and Pier View Way, starting at 9:30 a.m.; and
-- Rancho Bernardo, outside the Rancho Bernardo Town Center at 16861 Bernardo Center Drive, starting at 12:30 p.m.

"San Diegans who are veterans, who are postal workers and teachers, who rely on Social Security, Medicaid or Medicare, and who are horrified at the Trump-Musk billionaire takeover of our government are coming together to protest the Trump administration's attacks on the rights and services they depend upon, many of them for survival" said Angela Benson, a member of the organizing coalition.

President Donald Trump has yet to personally comment on what organizers were calling a "mass mobilization day," but the White House rescheduled one of its annual spring garden tour dates Saturday due to the large anti-Trump demonstration expected to take place near 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

"Anyone who thinks protests, lawsuits and lawfare will deter President Trump must have been sleeping under a rock for the past several years," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to USA Saturday. "President Trump will not be deterred from delivering on the promises he made to make our federal government more efficient and more accountable to the hardworking American taxpayers across the country who overwhelmingly re-elected him."

— City News Service