by Leslie Layton
posted Feb. 17
Several hundred people showed up today at City Plaza to protest the Trump presidency and the consolidation of power that is now being termed a coup by reputable political commentators.
Turnout was surprising given that the event was announced only days ago on social media by local groups that wanted to support the “We The People” nationwide protest.
Toward the end of the 12 p.m. protest, tempers flared when a Chico man, Danny Peters, planted himself about a hundred yards down the sidewalk on the east side of the plaza and waved a flag that said, “Trump won” and “Get over it.” A woman was interviewed by police and taken off by paramedics after onlookers said she was pushed off a curb and onto the pavement face down.
Most protesters showed up with homemade signs energized, worried, and eager to voice their views and protest peacefully. A few of the signs read, “Of course it’s a coup,” “Felon in charge,” and “Reject fascism.”
“I’m a veteran and I’m afraid for my pension,” said Jonathan Miles of Chico. “We’re seeing dictatorship in action.”
Angela Silva, who has been active with Women’s March Chico, said she launched the “We are worth fighting for – Chico Area” Facebook page and watched as the organization for today’s protest spread “organically.” A national coalition, 50501, declared today a national day of protest in all 50 state capitols and called the protest movement #NotMyPresidentsDay with a “No Kings” theme.
“This is a hostile takeover and data is being stolen,” Silva told the crowd. “It will be allowed to continue this way unless people take back their power.”
Protesters were buoyed by mostly friendly honks and waves from passing vehicles. Chico’s Didi Lopez said she came to protest the “power grab” by Trump and Elon Musk, an unelected special government employee.
That perspective has been voiced even more energetically in recent days by commentators like former labor secretary Robert Reich, historian Timothy Snyder and economist Paul Krugman.
“Elon Musk’s meddling into the machinery of government is a part of the coup,” Reich wrote in a Feb. 14 column. “This data is the lifeblood of our government … In the wrong hands, without legal authority, it could be used to control or mislead Americans.”
Historian Timothy Snyder wrote on Feb. 5: “A coup is underway … against Americans as citizens of a democratic republic. Each hour this goes unrecognized makes the success of the coup more likely.”
Economist Paul Krugman uses the term “autogolpe,” which he says is a “self-coup” that occurs “when a legitimately elected leader” ignores “legal and constitutional restraints on his power.”
As Chicoans struggled to react today Main Street became the site of both energized, peaceful protest as well as the kind of frustration and anger that Donald Trump often engenders. A few protesters apparently confronted Peters.
When this reporter arrived at the spot of confrontation, a woman was lying on the pavement with blood on her face and Peters was shouting about “fuckin’ liberals.” Peters said the woman had snatched and walked off with his cardboard cutout of Donald Trump.
Several onlookers said they saw Peters shove the woman, but Peters denied pushing her.
Anna Lee Mraz, CEO of Peninsula 360 press, was passing through Chico and stopped with her family to see the protest. Mraz said she saw the man with the flag — Peters — push the woman. “She went down, I saw her hands go flat on the ground, boom.”
Leslie Layton is editor of ChicoSol.
Thanks for covering this.. a good start for people to get engaged, educated , and ready to hold the line. People on the streets matter and the courts are essential. Catch the PBS interview tonight to hear the head of the farmers in Kansas say they should have paid more attention to Project 25. Yes indeedy. It’s all there. No secret.
I am shocked to hear a speaker say that Chico State has already lost $10 million in contracts (some of which were for teacher education)! And Musk/Trump are just getting started! That is a big financial blow to our university town. And the federal employee who was on her lunch break! I could feel her fear and uncertainty as she spoke about her being the key breadwinner for her family! We gotta call Doug LaMalfa and hold him accountable for supporting this assault on our community by oligarchs who don’t care about us. (530) 343-1000. I understand that Doug is in district all this week.. Stop by or call.
My son is an oceanographic scientist. His work is mostly done with Fed funded grants.
They have already been notified no future payments, on exisiitng grants, will be coming.
All grants “are under review”.
Thank you for this story! I couldn’t make the protest so I’m so happy to read about it and know that people are speaking out. I’m looking forward to the next one. And I heard that there is a “Buy Nothing” Day coming up Feb 28, and many other actions to follow soon. Now is the time to push back.
Along with important local coverage, I learned two new from this article: autogolpe & Chocoans.