Local residents protest Trump’s congressional address

Editor’s note: Corrections were made to the article clarifying that President Donald Trump’s speech was not a State of the Union but rather a joint address to Congress.

The intersection of El Camino Real and Jefferson Avenue in Redwood City echoed with chants for saving democracy as about 100 people gathered on Tuesday, March 4, to protest President Donald Trump’s policies and executive orders. The significance of the day: Trump’s joint address to Congress. 

“Too many people are silent,” said Lori Schulman, a Redwood City resident. “And I think the issue is that silence is essentially going to kill us.”

The protest was organized by Indivisible Portola Valley, a group founded in 2017 by residents of Portola Valley and neighboring communities during Trump’s first administration. Other groups like La Honda Indivisible and Showing Up for Racial Justice, along with residents of Redwood City joined the protest at noon.

The protestors stood on each corner of the intersection, ringing bells, playing drums and chanting on microphones — “Tell me what democracy looks like….this is what democracy looks like,” “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Trump and Musk have got to go,” “The people united will never be defeated,” and “We can’t let our country fail, put Elon in jail.”

Through social media and word of mouth, the demonstration grew larger than organizers expected with residents joining from Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Mountain View, San Mateo and Atherton. 

“He (Donald Trump) is a puppet for Putin. The way that he’s treated Zelensky in the office the other day, it was just appalling.” said Cathy Cunha, a member of Portola Valley Indivisible. “It’s so disturbing and I can’t believe he’s going to last four years.”

While some carried signs saying, “We Need a President, Not a Dictator,” “Hands off our Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid” and “Billionaires Only Serve Themselves,” others waved flags of the United States, Ukraine and LGBTQIA+ community.

Many passersby honked their vehicles in support and the protest remained peaceful.

“Individuals need to get together in their own communities because it’s also something they can control on some level,” said Joann Loulan, a member of Indivisible Portola Valley. 

The local social justice group at Ladera Church has been hosting community discussions on how to protest peacefully and how to promote civil discourse while acknowledging the divided views among neighbors, family and friends, said Karen Turner, a member of Ladera Church. 

According to Loulan, the protest was organized to voice opposition against “the illegal things that Trump and Musk are doing.”

Ahead of Trump’s joint address of Congress, Loulan believes it’s important to “get out into the world and tell people that we do not agree with this.” She added that their group decided to organize the protest at a busy location to make themselves visible to as many passersby as possible. 

Loulan pointed to the crowd and said, “This is the State of the Union. We’re mad, we’re angry and we’re scared for the people that are going to be summarily dismissed.”

For Patty Mayall, a member of La Honda Indivisible, the motivation to protest stems from her grandparents’ journey of immigrating from Eastern Europe — a decision that likely saved their lives during World War I.

“I would not be alive if they had not escaped tyranny in their own countries,” she said. “And I can’t stand that we’re having tyranny here.”

For others, the reasons varied from access to healthcare, Social Security benefits and the loss of human rights. 

Redwood City resident Hannah Doress has a mother on Social Security benefits and a disabled brother who relies on Medicaid and Social Security benefits. She’s worried for her family’s health and future. 

“These people want to kill our family members and they want to take our money just because they’re greedy and want power,” said Doress. “It’s completely wrong and we have to stand up until they’re gone.”

Diana Reddy, former vice-mayor of Redwood City, said that many of her Latino friends are afraid to step out of their houses.

“So it’s up to us, those of us who can do something, to do that work,” Reddy said.

Embarcadero Media Staff contributed to this report.

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