“No Kings” protest attracts a crowd in Ventura
VENTURA, Calif. – "No Kings" protests took place up and down the coast on Saturday morning.
Protesters filled the sidewalks along Victoria Avenue outside the Ventura County Government Center.
Supporters honked their horns as they drove by, while opponents with flags attached to their cars and trucks drove by without honking.
Bill Slaughter, of Ojai, shared a photo of singer and songwriter Neil Young holding a sign that read "Hands Off Canada."
"What I am loving about it is how organic it is, all of these people have handmade signs and they are funny, they are fantastic," said Slaugher, "and speaking of handmade signs, I just saw Neil Young, walking across the stree, holding up a 'don't bother Canada' sign, and he was just being totally gracious with the crowd. They love him. It was really cool, he was with Daryl Hannah, too, I think."
Lulu Reitz of Oxnard said the protest made her realize she wasn't the only one upset by the second Trump term.
"I have never been, and I am only here because sometimes you think you are the only one and I can see that I am not and I have great friends who let me know about this, and that's why I am here," said Reitz.
A young father said he had hoped to see more young people join Democrats.
There was a small group of young people selling Revolutionary Communists of America newspapers across the street.
Marin Valerio said she is part of the group that disagrees with the Democrats and the Republicans.
"There wasn't as much of a younger crowd as in past protests, but we are here,"" said Valeria, "we are fighting back against Trump, but we are also fighting back against the Democrats and the capitalist system as a whole."
Riley Warren of Agoura said he came with his Bible and large anti-abortion signs.
The Trump voter considers abortion and some forms of birth control a crime.
"I don't see him [Trump] doing enough about the abortion issue."
David Tyrone of Ventura said he voted for Trump twice and stands by him.
"I feel that even though there's a lot of people that are upset about him [Trump] I think he is trying to do the right thing," said Tyrone.
The flag at the nearby Bank of America flew upside down during the protest.
That's often considered a symbol of distress.
Police officers and security guards stood by to make sure disagreements didn't get out of hand.
The protest that started at 10 a.m. wrapped up around noon, moments after a three-car crash stopped traffic temporarily at the corner of Victoria and Telephone.
The crash involved a classic car, an SUV, and a pickup truck.
First responders arrived quickly. No one was hurt.
They could not say whether the protesters, carrying signs and flags on each corner of the intersection, and crossing the street inside crosswalks, contributed to the collision.
Some protesters headed to another rally in Thousand Oaks after the protest in Ventura.
