Between 200 and 250 people attended a two-hour “Together We Stand” rally in Oceanside Saturday, event organizers said.
The rally was held “against the rise of authoritarianism, abuses of executive power and ongoing threats to our democracy,” according to an earlier description. Speakers included Carlsbad Mayor Pro Tem Priya Bhat-Patel and Oceanside Deputy Mayor Eric Joyce.
Organizer Larry Warner told City News Service that the rally turnout was good, and attendees “were encouraged and also challenged by the gathering and the speakers.”
“There seems to be a great concern around the capricious and violent acts of (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement), as well as cuts to Medicaid and (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program),” he wrote in a text message.
The rally lasted from 10 a.m. Saturday to noon, and included live music and a march through Oceanside, with marchers returning to the
Civic Center
.
“Then, we lined Coast Highway until noon, ending our time singing the national anthem,” said Warner, a member of People of Peace & Justice, a new grassroots group based in Oceanside.
Warner — who also works with the
Democratic Club of Carlsbad Oceanside
and
Indivisible 49
— said attendees were glad to see a rally happen in Oceanside.
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“We’re not all upset about the same things necessarily, but we all feel that democracy is going in the wrong direction,” he said in a telephone interview. “It’s more of an advocacy for people than a protest against a person,” such as Donald Trump.
Warner added that one of the most-chanted phrases at the Saturday event was “Love, not hate, makes America great.”
