A crowd of 400 to 500 people gathered at the Long Beach Civic Center and then marched to Bixby Park as they protested President Donald Trump on Monday afternoon, part of a nationwide string of demonstrations scheduled for Presidents Day.
After rallying just outside the Port of Long Beach headquarters at 1 p.m., the group took over the eastbound lanes of Ocean Boulevard — many carrying signs decrying Trump and Elon Musk.
Protesters also brought flags, ukuleles, pets and children. One sign advertised a candlelight vigil for democracy, set for 6 p.m. Monday at Bixby Park.
Elaine Tubinis, a Long Beach resident for over 40 years, brought a sign that read “Deport Elon Musk.” Another attendee, Sam Williams, blew a shofar horn and sported a denim vest that read “D.E.I. Proud Vet 1966,” a reference to his Army service in Vietnam.
“It makes me proud to be from Long Beach,” said Justin Sepulveda, one of the protesters. “This city could never get a cold heart.”
The event was part of a nationwide protest movement scheduled Monday to push back on Trump and Musk as they move to dismantle some government agencies, greatly reduce the federal workforce, ramp up deportations across the country, and ban programs promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.
The “Not My President” gatherings were organized by The 50501 Movement, which planned demonstrations in all 50 states to protest what the group called “the anti-democratic and illegal actions of the Trump administration and its plutocratic allies.”
Hundreds also rallied in Los Angeles, prompting the Los Angeles Police Department’s Central Division to issue several updates at midday Monday cautioning the public to expect delays and possible traffic obstruction in and around the Civic Center.