Dozens of sign-waving demonstrators were out in front of the Chula Vista Mall Friday morning. Some of their signs were in support of workers, while others held signs protesting the Trump administration.
They were just some of the people who turned out for May Day rallies across San Diego County, from Chula Vista to Oceanside, and from La Jolla to Lakeside.
The first of May is also known as International Workers Day, and the San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council planned one of the day's big rallies that would start at Waterfront Park, and then move to the federal courthouse, before concluding at Civic Center Plaza.
Brigette Browning, the organization's president, said people are fed up.
“Capitalism is working for the very wealthy and the oligarchs, but regular people are barely able to make ends meet,” Browning said. “And this isn't just in San Diego. It's all across the country. And so we're trying to lay the foundation to have a total realignment in our economy in the future.”
That simmering sentiment was also felt by hundreds of protesters at a noontime rally at Chicano Park. They were rallying against what they say is a broken system of greed and worker exploitation.
“The workers make up this county, the workers make up San Diego, the workers built San Diego, not billionaires," said Michael Avant, president of AFSCME Local 3299. "Billionaires take advantage of workers’ labors.”
Others, such as Jesus Gallegos-Muñoz, say these rallies are not only about workers' rights, but also about fighting for the future.
“Because as a youth of San Diego, we're not only the future, but we're the present,” he said. “We need to start building the communities and the future that we want for ourselves today.”
That was why Mayra Alvarez brought her young daughter to the rally at Chicano Park. She said she wanted her daughter to see the power of community and the importance of showing up and being a part of a movement.
“This little girl is our future,” she said. “So for her to see the power of our diversity, the strength of workers, how we are coming together to fight for the country that we believe in, the values that we believe in.”
Following the rally, protesters marched around Chicano Park. They say the system isn’t working for them anymore, but instead for oligarchs and billionaires. And they say they are over it.
“I think people are getting angry with everything that's going on,” said Heather Basten, an SEIU member. “I mean, there's ICE in our communities, AI's taking over everything. We want to return the power back to the working class.”
