‘I say time’s up.’ Thousands take to Fresno’s streets for Women’s March

The third annual Fresno Women’s March on Saturday attracted hundreds of people to north Fresno’s streets in a display of gender solidarity — calling for women’s rights to be respected and protected.

It also showed that political division remains strong — as a small, but visible, contingent of counter demonstrators made their presence known.

Fresno was just one of many cities nationwide Saturday to hold a Women’s March. Some at the local march carried signs calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump. Others chanted slogans such as “This is what democracy looks like.”

“I say time’s up. That’s what I say,” said attendee Sandi Downes. “It’s time that the men pay their dues for what’s happened in the past and what continues to happen in the present.”

Although an official turnout count for Fresno’s event wasn’t available, the number may have been high as as 3,000 through the duration of the event, which lasted a few hours. Lead organizer Kim Slavan said that number’s based on online interest.

Before people took over the sidewalks at Blackstone and Nees avenues, they heard from speakers who promoted the theme of this year’s march, “Truth to Power.”

Slavan said the theme was meant to attract people to take part in “a peaceful action to something that you’re opposing.”

Though the Fresno Women’s March doesn’t consider itself a political group (it recently gained nonprofit status), the larger Women’s March movement was born as a direct response to President Donald Trump’s 2017 inauguration.

Shannon Bremer, 52, attended the march with her daughter Cohen Perry, 16. Bremer said attending the march was initially her daughter’s idea to protest Trump. Bremer, however, saw it as a way to speak out about other recent issues, like family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border and the extreme political divide among Americans.

“I think people are scared of losing something and that’s why they get mad at each other,” Bremer said. “I think it’s a really good idea to care about people and protect people.”

Meanwhile, a short distance away from Bremer, a small group of Trump supporters waved flags emblazoned with “Trump 2020,” and the “Thin Blue Line” flag in support of law enforcement.

Among roughly a dozen or so counter protestors was Auberry resident James Hoak, 33. He said the group was part of “Valley Patriots,” a pro-Trump group there to “speak for women’s rights on our own side.”

Hoak said it was difficult to find common ground with those taking part in the Women’s March. He pointed their protest signs — some supporting gun control and Planned Parenthood.

Hoak explained that his views generally are in stark contrast to the hundreds of people who marched past him. Still, Hoak said he heard the news that Trump would announce a plan Saturday afternoon to reopen the government and offer potential solutions to immigration issues. That was possibly one way to bring people together on a common issue, he said.

“I can support that. I’m willing to give if we get what we want,” Hoak said.

A larger meaning

Police circled the march route in Fresno and kept the crosswalks under control. Despite the differing views among the marchers and the counter protesters, the Fresno event was peaceful.

On a national level, however, the Women’s March movement has seen some strain among its leadership.

Some leaders of the national group were accused of being anti-Semitic and having ties to Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, which has been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Chicago Tribune reported.

However, Slavan said the Fresno group is part of the California-based movement, thus those issues with leadership in other cities don’t really have a local impact. She insisted the Fresno group will remain inclusive.

“We don’t have anti-Semitism, anti any group,” she said. “We welcome everybody here.”

Musical performers also took to the stage to sing about the march’s meaning to them. Navi Jackson, 21, had written a song just 48 hours before the event, she said.

It didn’t even have a title yet. But she said she wrote it, inspired by the thought of what brings people together.

“Take a good long look in the mirror, I hope you can see me dear,” was a line in her song that she found meaningful.

“The purpose of the song was basically to reflect on what our similarities are,” she said.

“Those are the things that bring us together.”

This story was originally published January 19, 2019 at 4:30 PM.