About 3,000 people marched in Saturday’s third annual Women’s March Inland Empire in Riverside — part of a nationwide series of marches, including in Los Angeles, Orange County, Washington D.C., and New York.
The march was first organized after the 2017 inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Preceding the march, various speakers took to the steps of the Historic Riverside Courthouse to address the crowd.
“The women and children on our southern borders are not rapists, they are not drug dealers, they are not criminals. They are escaping some very, very violent communities in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras,” said Rep. Norma Torres, D-Ontario, a member of the most diverse congressional class in history, including a record number of members who are women.
“Love truly does outweigh hate and we are ready for a different set of politics,” said Redlands City Councilwoman Denise Davis, who is the first openly LGBTQ woman to serve on that body.
Streets were blocked off by Riverside city police officers as demonstrators marched through the downtown area.
Many of the participants held up signs repudiating the positions of the Trump administration and promoting female empowerment. Some chanted for the federal government shutdown to end.
A smaller Woman’s March also took place in Palm Springs on Saturday morning, kicking off at Frances Stevens Park.