They chanted and carried signs in English and Persian, and their message was clear.
“These people are fed up," Safaieh Rashti said.
Rashti was one of the protesters that gathered Tuesday afternoon in front of the Hall of Justice. She said the Iranian people have had enough of the Islamic regime that took over in 1979.
But for a movement to grow into a revolution, a spark — a precipitating event — is necessary.
That happened last month when 22-year old Mahsa Amini died under suspicious circumstances. The so-called “morality police” had arrested and charged her with not wearing her hijab correctly.
They said she had a heart attack and died. But the protesters here and many more in Iran say she was beaten to death.
Protests began almost immediately, mainly from women across Iran, and the protests came with demands, not just of the regime in Tehran, but of the Biden Administration as well.
“We want to stop having the agreement or any contract with this regime, regarding nuclear weapon or any other items," Rashti said.
Tuesday's protest in San Diego was about words — and deeds. Several young women followed the lead of their counterparts in Iran by cutting their hair.
“That was just to show my support for my women in Iran - for the teenagers, the young souls that they’ve been killed just because of showing some part of their hair," Angine Boghvian told KPBS after cutting off some of her hair.
Safaieh Rashti said all of us can help the people of Iran in this moment of need.
“They can send a letter to their representatives, send a letter to Congress, to Senate and to Mr. Biden, the president... and be actual human rights advocates for us,” she said.
