A handful of protestors peacefully greeted people attending the fourth annual Unite IE Conservative Conference Sunday in Riverside.
The conference hosted a panel of radio personalities and others who examined the highs and lows of Donald Trump’s administration in its first 100 days and speculated on what may be in store, according to Unite IE spokesman John Berry.
The event was scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Riverside Convention Center and featured analysis by broadcasters Larry Elder, Hugh Hewitt and Dennis Prager, as well as Breitbart scribe Joel Pollak.
At noon, about 50 demonstrators gathered peacefully near the south entrance of the convention center holding up signs that read “100 Days of Hell” and “Elect a Clown, Expect a Circus.”
“We aren’t going away and eventually there will be elections,” said Jane Mitchell of Riverside, one of the demonstrators.
“We don’t want to pay for the president’s trips to Mar-a-Lago while he cuts Meals on Wheels,” she said.
Another Riverside resident at the protest, Giselle O’Reilly, a green card holder originally from Canada, said protesting was the only way her concerns could be heard.
“I love the United States, but I’m nervous that if I leave the country, I may not be allowed back in for engaging in these types of activities.”
Riverside police spokesman Ryan Railsback told City News Service that there had been no disturbances reported in the area as of 1 p.m. and that officers would be on-site until the event was over.
“Most of the events where there have been demonstrations over the last year have been very peaceful, and we don’t expect this will be different,” Railsback said. “But we will be there to make sure people feel safe and everybody has an opportunity to speak their opinion, whatever it is.”
“It’ll be a mixed bag,” said the organizer, Berry, in a City News Service interview. “You know, Trump is a populist, and a lot of our guys are conservatives, so there are some disagreements, especially on how he wants to spend money.
Our crowd is pretty happy with the president, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t criticism,” Berry said. “It’s not going to be a love fest.”
More than 800 people were expected to attend the conference. According to Berry, that number was up from last year, when about 500 people attended.
“With Trump getting in the White House, we got a win. People are really upbeat and excited,” said Berry. “It’s exciting to be around so many like- minded people, especially being a conservative in California.”
Several groups, including Rise Up California circulated online calls to action for people to turn out and protest the event.
–City News Service