Huntington Beach, CA - "No Kings", Flag Day review (#1) See # 2 for pictures
The "No Kings" protest in Huntington Beach was large, loud, and peaceful. People came in all sizes shapes and colors but quite honestly, I've never seen so many old white people at a protest in my life! When thousands of old white people show up to protest, you've lost their "hearts and minds". When you've lost the old white person vote in Huntington Beach, you have already lost the war.
People were righteously angry at the way the President has been violating our constitution. People were angry at the kidnappings, the deportations, the concentration camps, the use of the military in Los Angeles, the lies, even more attempted tax cuts for the rich, the firebombing of the Pennsylvania governor's residence, attempted murder hammer attack against Paul Pelosi, the outright murder of Democratic politicians in Minnesota, and the list goes on and on.
Yes, there were some counter protesters, but they were outnumbered by at least 100 to one. We stationed ourselves around 6th Street and PCH. The protestors filled three or four blocks further up and at least six blocks in the other direction. For awhile, cars drove by and honked constantly in support. There were so many protesters that they lined both sides of the street, while protesters on the beach side were two or three deep.
The MAGA contingency primarily relegated itself to the section between the crosswalks at the pier. They were easily identifiable as they carried four or five layer flags in order to make up for their small... numbers.
The attitude among the crowd was that of excitement, expectancy, and peacefulness. Peace signs were flashed all over the place, and a surprising number of people were walking by handing out free water and snacks.
It was also Flag Day and American flags were present in large numbers. The protest was to last from noon to 3, and near the end, a number of young Latino men shook hands with the crowd, and thanked us individually for being there. The look in their eyes was genuinely grateful.
Many of the signs were entertaining, (see second post for a few signs) and the only attempts at violence I saw came from young men on e-bikes who lit firecrackers, threw them at the protesters, and then fled.
There was no military presence, an appropriate police presence, and I counted about 10 water trucks (apparently representing water cannon?) which drove through the street. Police reported at least one arrest after the event ended when a man with a police record, who was carrying a weapon, was threatening to "knock out" a protester.
There was a little excitement when a car at a stop light sprang a coolant leak. With steam and coolant everywhere, traffic was backing up. The driver looked frantic and she did not know what to do. She knew if she continued driving, she would do even more damage to her car. Suddenly, a half dozen young men emerged from the crowd, instructed the driver on how to position the shift lever and the ignition key; assured her they would help and then pushed her to safety. We pushed that car for about three blocks and parked it near the police substation.
Overall it was one of the most enjoyable protests I have ever attended ( 5 stars, would attend again). The crowd was quite diverse, in a very good mood, and were united in the idea that America was going to remain free and was not going to be ruled by a king.
This story played out again and again in thousands of cities through out the nation and involved millions of Americans. And where was the President? He was in DC, in his homemade bunker, parading real live "toy soldiers".
I'm going to end with a comment that may strike fear in the hearts of the GOP. Several times throughout the protest, crowds broke out in unison, with the chant "Never Again Republican."