Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic, an independent journalism training program for high school students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.
Parents, grandparents and others their age lined El Camino Real during Monday’s 17×17 Labor Day rally — as in previous anti-Trump protests. But where were the younger people?
At the protest, aiming to line up 17,000 people for 17 miles of El Camino Real in a safe, civil and welcoming environment, elders seemed to far outnumber teens and people in their 20s.
Kristina Schmidt, 63, a bookkeeper from San Jose, said she was in attendance to defend several causes such as gay marriage, immigration and Medicaid.
She had a message for young people: “Get involved in politics. Learn about it. Call your representatives to let them know how you feel. You can’t vote until a certain age, but you can learn a lot of things until you reach that age.”
Lucy Camp, a junior at Mountain View High School, attended with her family. “I do have friends and people that I know who are in fear of something happening,” she said about ICE raids. “We’ve had enough of this. If you are in the position to try and make change, go for it, because it’s only going to get worse from here.”
Mallika Ghante, 18, a student at UCLA, turned out with her parents to protest cuts to science and research funding at her university, which she said has closed down lab opportunities for students who are doing vital work.
“I’m out here today to demand that he return that funding,” she said, referring to Trump. Every day, she wakes up to find something else objectionable from the Trump administration, like cuts to federal student loans or its positions on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
It is depressing, she said.
Democrats, labor unions and other groups planned nearly 1,000 protests against Trump in all 50 states on Monday, including the 17×17-mile protest along El Camino Real. Unlike a 7-mile shoulder-to-shoulder protest on June 14, Monday’s protest featured clumps of sign-waving people on corners, driveways and pockets of shade in the high-80s heat.
Whether or not they met turnout goals, “We are not stopping and we are not backing down,” said IdaRose Sylvester, a Mountain View community leader and the protest co-coordinator. “We’re letting people know that there’s a big community that has their back.”
She and co-coordinator Sally Lieber, both of Together We Will, organized the “No Kings Day” protest on El Camino Real this June. The turnout, which organizers estimated to be 20,000 people, inspired Lieber to expand into a 17 mile stretch on Labor Day.
Sylvester said her team sent out over 10,000 flyers and 10,000 emails, Instagram and Facebook posts to spread the word. She also shared information to local high school newspapers to reach youth.
“Youth voices are absolutely important,” said Sylvester. “The future that we are building now, the future we are leaving behind will impact them way more than it will impact me.”
In Sunnyvale on Monday, protesters clapped their hands and tapped their feet as a saxophonist walked up and down the sidewalk of El Camino Real, playing upbeat tunes amid the mostly older crowd.
Parents like Melissa Braunworth of Santa Clara said she would fight for the youth who were missing in the crowd.
“It’s very disconcerting to me to see that my grandparents had some more freedoms than my kids might have right now,” said Braunworth, who brought her three young children to the rally.
Katherine Naegele, a volunteer with the Together We Will political action organization in Palo Alto, chaperoned at the protest. While keeping an eye on protesters she said she also came out to fight for her transgender and immigrant partner.
“We as a family feel very personally attacked,” said Naegele, adjusting her bright yellow vest. “We’re lucky to be in California, but that does not protect you from everything.”
Some of the protesters tried to lift spirits. Michele Bertolone, a member of the San Jose branch of American Association of University Women (AAUW) said she felt hopeful to see hundreds show up at El Camino. Bertolone walked up and down the sidewalk encouraging other protesters.
“It makes me hopeful that we are not alone, I want to be part of this larger movement,” she said. “The young people have started to come and protest with us.”
Steve Strange, 58, an engineer from Mountain View, was with his wife and teen daughter. “This is our way to express our fear and distaste for everything that is happening in our government,” Strange said. “This is not about the left and right wing anymore,” he added, crossing his arms. “This is about right and wrong.”
Iris Sanchez is a member of the Class of 2028 at San Jose State University. Sonia Mankame, Angelique Alvarez Martinez and Sophie Luo contributed to this report.
