Wendy Rodriguez and her husband, Armando, stood together on Mission Inn Avenue in downtown Riverside for hours on Saturday to protest President Donald Trump and his administration’s actions.
They have been frustrated with the country’s treatment of immigrants, citing the increase in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. They were also worried about the future of their young daughter, Aubrey, believing that her democratic freedoms were at risk.
“That’s what’s really important to us right now,” Wendy said. “And that’s why I feel like a lot of people are out here protesting for what is going to come in the future.”
The Rodriguez family was among the estimated 4,000 Inland Empire residents who organizers said gathered October 18 in downtown Riverside as part of the nationwide “No Kings” movement. Other cities across the region, like Ontario, Redlands and Temecula, also saw large turnouts for local protests.
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For more than two hours, demonstrators stood along the sidewalk across several blocks on Mission Inn Avenue waving handmade signs with crossed-out crowns while others held up American and Mexican flags. Many also voiced their outrage at the president’s policies, blaming him for the government shutdown and taking aim at his perceived corruption.
“We’re fighting for voting rights, healthcare rights [and] human rights,” Riverside resident Jemal Milly said. “We’re here because we’re trying to defeat fascism and we will be successful.”
The protest was organized by Indivisible Riverside, a local chapter of a nationwide progressive organization responsible for hosting the previous “No Kings” event in June. More than 5,000 residents marched through the downtown streets peacefully for hours during the summer protest, with only one incident late into the night, where a demonstrator was taken to the hospital after being struck by a vehicle.
Saturday’s protest remained peaceful, with very little visible police presence. Officer Ryan Railsback, Riverside Police Department spokesperson, said in an email to The Riverside Record that the department was aware of the gathering and remained committed to protecting First Amendment rights while also maintaining public order.
The event started at 5:30 p.m. in front of the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture, where demonstrators heard from local organizers.
Jacob Daruvala, an Inland Empire-based organizer who spoke, focused on the upcoming statewide special election for Proposition 50 — which could temporarily redraw the state’s congressional maps to give Democrats the advantage for the next three election cycles — asking for volunteers to door-knock with him in support of the measure the following day in Ontario.
“What I’d like to do is talk to these folks a little bit about getting involved in elections, getting involved in going to their local boards and city councils to speak there,” Daruvala said in an interview with The Record. “So that’s what I’m trying to do, is move people from showing up to a protest to showing up to civic engagement actions.”
Following the speeches, demonstrators marched around downtown Riverside before spreading out along Mission Inn Avenue, slowly dispersing as the sun went down.
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