‘Fight the Trump Takeover’ Takes Over Upper State

Hundreds of people crowded the sidewalks of upper State Street on Saturday morning, protesting what activists are calling the “Trump takeover” in light of the president’s efforts to gerrymander Texas and other red states to establish Republican control ahead of the election. 

“Grab him by his map!” rang out across the street from one particularly enthused man, referencing Donald Trump’s infamous line dictating how he thinks he can treat women (grabbing them by their you-know-what). 

Santa Barbara protesters joined others holding similar rallies across the country. There were familiar sights from the numerous protests that have filled Santa Barbara’s streets since Trump took office in January. Signs included opposition to “faux-king Trump,” criticisms of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) amid the uptick in militarized immigration raids, and insults toward Trump, his allies, and his policies in the form of punny slogans. 

There were even helium balloons designed to make Trump look like a cry baby. 

“This is unbelievable,” said Kym Cochram, a volunteer with Indivisible Santa Barbara, the group that organized the rally. The turnout was inspiring, she said, looking down both sides of the street across from Whole Foods, lined in each direction with dozens of protesters. Retirees from assisted living homes even came out, she noted.

“In my mind, I was kind of torn, like, ‘Is this really gonna do anything?’ ‘What kind of systemic change can we make?’ But this gives me hope that, on a national level, we can move the needle.”

In response to Trump’s attempted “election rigging,” California Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced a special election for California voters to approve the map of the state’s redrawn congressional districts, citing transparency and accountability he implied is lacking on the federal level. 

“We can say, ‘Enough is enough.’ You’re not playing fair,” Cochram said about the current administration. “Guess what? We’re in the game now.”