A boy rides an older peer’s shoulders as they storm past the first barricade.
Protesters of all ages had a safe space to represent themselves.

The Hyatt Regency was surrounded in fury and revelry Friday morning, as armor clad police guarded each entrance, and nervous hotel staff looked upon protesters outside, with a strange combination of worry, contempt, and awe. Protesters leaned against rattling police barricades, rhythmically chanting, “FUCK YOU DONALD TRUMP!”

Two groups had officially organized to protest the candidate, who had come to give his keynote speech at the California GOP convention’s Friday Kickoff Lunch. Black Direct Action organization, BlackOut Collective and CCSF graduate, Alycia Moore, used social media to organize with great success. The BlackOut Collective stated, “Donald Trump represents the vile underbelly of American democracy by where Black people are both disenfranchised and ostracized.”

Some goals from the BlackOut Collective were to, “reject Trump’s political visit to Northern California … [and] [to] pressure Silicon Valley tech companies to divest funding from a Trump-led RNC.” The collective started things off that morning at 9:00am, and Moore’s group joined at 11:00am like a reinforcing wave. The attendance was vastly diverse in terms of age, race, and nationality.

Protesters create roadblock on Old Bayshore Highway to impede Trump’s motorcade

By around 11:30am a blockade of protesters could be seen sitting across the road, linking arms with PVC pipes, shrieking, “STAND UP FIGHT BACK!” Police SUV’s were scattered along the roads surrounding the hotel. Protesters managed to pull back some of the barricades blocking the front of the conference and attempted to rush the convention, before being stopped again at the main entrance.

Protesters arranged a stage out front of the hotel to speak their thoughts. One man queried, “What message does it send, when you support bombing people that you know nothing about with drones!? When you support the deportation of millions?!” Another man screamed in response, “Trump is a nazi!” Socialists also had a strong presence at the protest, “the key story is that, maybe, young people are deciding Socialism! Most of their energy is in Sanders…” said one man before a woman carrying a Hillary Clinton banner interrupted yelling, “I DISAGREE!” This called for a refocusing of the protest’s energy. “This isn’t about any of that! This is about being against Trump,” exclaimed one mediating organizer. At what seemed like the perfect time, one protester took the stage to get an important point across, “We are here because Donald Trump represents the worst of this country. He is not only a racist, but a fascist. A nazi! In order to fight Trump, we must have an economic platform. We have to tax wall street!” He ended on the task at hand: to reject and rebuke Donald Trump, saying, “Just remember: Trump equals nazi!” At this point, a group of protesters began egging a life-sized cutout of Trump, while others at the front of the barricades repeatedly chanted at police officers, “SHAME ON YOU!” Meanwhile, new information spread, “The motorcade is coming up the 101! … Donald Trump got in through the back!”

Protesters amassed strategically at different points to stop him from entering. Many people carried Mexican flags (above). Others chanted, “Si se puede,” in protest of Trump’s insults against Mexican and immigrant populations.

“WE’RE ON THE NEWS!” Someone screamed excitedly as Mexican flags waved in the air. People alternated between, “Si se puede,” and other chants, which began to ring of victory and joy as opposed to outrage.

Meanwhile, inside of the hotel, Donald Trump delivered his keynote. This was of course, only after having to disembark his motorcade in the middle of the 101, climb down over the interstate wall behind the hotel, and sneak in through the back entrance, to evade the hundreds of impassioned protesters. The entire protest was an assertive and blaring rejection of Donald Trump. As the crowd succeeded in maintaining a presence at each entryway of the hotel, their anger and tension evolved into a collective rejoice at their ability to project a powerful, unified voice, which successfully and quite literally made the statement: “Fuck you, Donald Trump.”