Thousands continued to protest the election of Donald Trump across major U.S. cities Wednesday, with some demonstrations leading into the early morning hours Thursday. California also continues to be a hotbed for protest. Crowds in Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Santa Ana, Berkeley, San Francisco, Oakland and elsewhere rallied on campuses, streets, and highways, shouting “Not My President” and “F**** Donald Trump” among other slogans. Protestors even shut down the 101 Freeway. Most of the protests have been peaceful, but local law enforcement still isn’t taking any chances. They remain on heightened alert.
Reactions from local leaders and activists across the Golden State have also begun pouring in. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti expressed sorrow over the results, while City Councilman Paul Koretz called the idea of a Trump presidency “pretty frightening.” Lt. Governor and former San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom called the win a “national disgrace.” Current San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee tried to assure his progressive constituents, telling them San Francisco would remain a beacon of diversity. There’s even wild talk of secession, aptly dubbed “Calexit.”
The results of the election have no doubt underscored the vast cultural and political differences separating California’s major cities from much of the rest of the country and, arguably, from many parts of their own state. Clinton won California and its major urban areas in a predictable landslide. Even many of the state’s GOP leaders refused to endorse Donald Trump, finding him to be too divisive.
One of those Republicans, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, sounded a more conciliatory tone Wednesday:
“America has given us our next president,” the mayor told constituents on Twitter. “When the president is successful our country is successful, and I sincerely hope that President-elect Trump will now act as a unifying force that brings our nation together… It is now time to move past the divisive rhetoric that defined this election and work together for the good of the American people.”