Despite a local vote of around two-thirds in favor of Donald Trump in November’s election, hundreds of dissatisfied Americans turned out locally to protest the actions being taken by the Trump Administration, and in particular Elon Musk and his DOGE underlings. A demonstration held at Noon Monday on Cypress Avenue in front of Redding City Hall drew a conservative estimate of at least 2 to 3 hundred protesters. The rally was promoted as an “anti fascism” protest, but the subject matter on the many hand-written signs being displayed ran the gamut of complaints, from immigration to Middle East and Ukraine foreign relations to the many federal employee terminations to the threats against Medicare and Social Security benefits. Accusations flew about racism, sexism, totalitarianism and favoritism for America’s Billionaire class. The turnout was several times that of a rally held a week and a half ago at Court Street and Eureka Way. There were hundreds of protests scheduled scheduled nationwide Monday outside Congressional Offices and Tesla Dealerships, with organizers hoping to send a pointed message to members of Congress who are on recess this week. Outraged activists want elected officials in both major political parties to push back against Musk. Trump has praised Musk’s work with his Department of Government Efficiency, saying it has found “shocking” evidence of wasteful federal spending, but many see the actions as self-serving and short sighted. There were also about a dozen people who showed up on Cypress Avenue in support of the Trump Administration and the planned mass deportations. There were some angry verbal exchanges, but no violence.
-Steve Gibson