Mountain View’s portion of the “No Kings” protest Saturday was a joyful event that brought close to 1,100 people to the Castro Street intersection and many more throughout the city, organizers said.
IdaRose Sylvester, one of the event organizers, said the protest was a success because it had the feel of a street party thanks to music, dancing and positivity.
“We organizers are extremely pleased with everything, including the turnout, the absolute joy and energy of the crowd,” Sylvester said. “It was electric.”
Sylvester noted that while exact participation numbers aren’t known at this time, the Castro Street intersection had over 1,100 people up and down the street, and more at 16 other intersections in the city, while hundreds of people spontaneously gathered at 10 other intersections in the city. Sylvester said there were no incidents of safety issues in Mountain View.
“We work hard to ensure that happens, and it’s always great to hear when things go well,” Sylvester said.
The “No Kings” protest in Mountain View was part of a larger nationwide protest against President Donald Trump and his administration, with national organizers saying more than 7 million people attended 2,700 events throughout the country.
Moving forward, Sylvester is working to give people more details about what happens now, with a number of people canvassing after the protest in neighborhoods in Mountain View for various things on the upcoming November ballot.
“It was really positive and turned people into activists by the end of it,” Sylvester said.
Organizers have also said another important way to participate is voting in the Nov. 4 election.
“We have a pretty big ballot,” Sylvester said of Santa Clara County. “I can’t think of anything more important than to get people involved in that election right now.”
