Approximately 5,000 activists rallied in San Diego on Saturday as part of approximately 300 coordinated sister marches across the United States to call on the Trump administration to take action on climate change.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Saturday’s People’s Climate March march was a smaller draw than last weekend’s March for Science, which saw a crowd of approximately 15,000 people in San Diego “but more restrained tenor.” The Tribune noted that Saturday’s climate change march attendees were far more aggressive in their message opposing President Trump than those who attended rallies the weekend before.
The day was particularly noteworthy, as it marked Trump’s 100th day in office.
“Let’s not say the hundredth day of Trump. It’s the hundredth day of resistance, and it’s not going to stop,” state Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego) reportedly said at San Diego’s Waterfront Park.
Meanwhile, in Northern California, over 2,000 activists gathered at Oakland’s Lake Merritt for a coinciding rally, organized by the People’s Climate Movement Bay Area, to march for greater action to combat climate change and the organize against Trump. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, “[t]he culminating action came at 3:30 p.m. with an attempt to form a human chain around the lake. But they fell short of the 3,000 people needed and settled for a march around the lake.”
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) of Oakland reportedly rallied the crowd with a brief but intense speech.
Washington, D.C. drew the largest crowd of protesters nationwide. The Washington Post reported that tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered at the Capitol and marched along 14th Street.
The Post noted that chants of “Hey hey, ho ho, Scott Pruitt has got to go,” “Resistance is here to stay, welcome to your 100th day,” and “The oceans are rising and so are we!” filled the air.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Al Gore and Richard Branson were reportedly among celebrities who attended.
A Denver march was conducted in the midst of a late spring snowstorm.
The Peoples Climate March originated in New York in September 2014.
The Post noted that Saturday’s heat in D.C. was a record high for April 29.
President Trump, who was speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, has already rolled back several of his predecessor’s climate policies, and signaled to the crowd that he would consider withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement of 2015.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.