Thousands rally at Rinconada for ‘Democracy Fair’

Blocks away from Palo Alto’s Rinconada park, tree-shaded streets echoed with the shouts of protestors, car-honks and live music as part of a day full of demonstrations against the Trump administration on Saturday. 

Crowds of people walked from the corner of El Camino Real and Embarcadero Road toward the park, where over 5,000 participants met for what was branded as a Democracy Fair. They toted signs reading “Stop the kidnapping,” “Hire a clown, expect a circus,” and many others in response to the president’s increased immigration enforcement and targeting of government agencies for massive staff reductions. 

Indivisible Mid-Peninsula, a local chapter of a national movement against Trump, helped host the Rinconada event that featured informational booths on climate change and abortion bans, and live performances by Joan Baez and other local musicians. Other chapters of Indivisible supported the event.

The event was one of hundreds of “No Kings” rallies that were organized across the nation on Saturday to coincide with President Donald Trump’s military parade in Washington, D.C.

Baez, who grew up in the area, launched her career as “trouble-maker” at Palo Alto High School, she said in an interview. She acted in her first form of civil disobedience by refusing to take part in an air-raid drill. Now, she’s urging people to do as much as they can to stand up against the current administration. 

“It’s about faith, persistence, hope, which I didn’t used to believe in, but now I have to,” Baez said. 

She and her team are currently working to support families “left behind” by people who have been suddenly deported, she said. 

U.S. Rep. Sam Liccardo, who attended the event, said in an interview that he continues to remain optimistic about the state of the nation and commended protestors for standing up for immigrant and basic constitutional rights. 

“Every one of us here today can say we feel some fear, and by coming together, we can find courage in one another,” he said. “It’s important that everyone knows that no matter how bad it is right now in Washington, DC, there continues to be a passion in this country for righteousness and freedom.”

For some Palo Altans like Letitia Roddy, this isn’t the first time they’ve shown up to join national protests. As she and her sister untangled whistles to pass out to others, they recalled protesting against the Vietnam war in the ’60s, with some of the same people at Rinconada Park. 

Now, Roddy said, holding a sign that read “Crush ice,” she is standing up against Trump’s prosecution of “people trying to work,” across the country. 

“The boomers are still speaking up,” she said, smiling.