Hundreds gather in Northeast Fresno for Women's March

Sunday, January 22, 2017
Hundreds gather in Northeast Fresno for Women's March
On one of the busiest streets in Northeast Fresno, over 1,000 stood on all four corners and protested the newly inaugurated President of the United States.

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- On one of the busiest streets in Northeast Fresno, over 1,000 stood on all four corners and protested the newly inaugurated President of the United States.

What organizers called a Social Justice and Women's Rights March was just one of many taking place across the country. It's a global movement that Pamela Deslauriers from Bakersfield drove two hours for.

"We wanted our voices heard," she said. "We wanted the rest of the world to know not all of America is crazy right now."

Deslauriers said she never thought, at 68 years old, she would be doing something she did back in her 20s.

"This is stuff I marched for in the 60s and here it is again," she said. "It is terrifying to think that half of the country doesn't care about the other half."

The march near River Park Shopping Center was peaceful. Demonstrators held signs along the sidewalk and obeyed traffic signals while crossing from street to street.

The California Highway Patrol even had officers in the sky and on the ground monitoring the rally. But while there were thousands out supporting the cause, others came out to dissent the marchers' message.

Gabrielle Bawcum wants people to know this goes beyond who is now leading our country.

"We want to promote equality, promote love, promote unity," she said. "And all these people out here are so diverse, and it's so amazing."

On Twitter, President Trump did not respond to any of the protests happening in cities across the nation. However, he did tweet a portion of his inauguration speech saying, "Do not allow anyone to tell you that it cannot be done. No challenge can match the heart and fight and spirit of America."