Donald Trump

‘We Will Not Be Silent': Bay Area Women's Marches Swell with Thousands of Participants

As the nation comes to grips with Donald Trump assuming his seat in the Oval Office, thousands of people from across the Bay Area on Saturday continued to take the opportunity to voice their opinions about the new reality.

People scattered across the region's three major metropolitan areas, in addition to a number of other smaller communities, gathered at a multitude of locations to either fight for women's rights, decry the election of Trump, safeguard the environment or stand up for immigrant communities among a slew of other issues.

Droves of people on Saturday took to the streets of San Jose to speak up for women’s right and a host of other issues that may be in question as President Donald Trumps takes office. Marianne Favro reports.

Police said an estimated 25,000 people flocked to San Jose City Hall for a roughly one-mile-long walk and rally in solidarity with the national Women's March in Washington D.C., an event that witnessed hundreds of thousands of people pack the National Mall.

Signs spotted in the San Jose crowd read, "We Will Not Be Silent," "Stop the War on Women" and "Women Can!" Men, women and children could also be heard chanting, "Yes we can!"

Nicole Hadsell of San Jose partook in Saturday's event because she is concerned about the future of reproductive rights.

"No one should have a choice about what we can and cannot do with our own bodies," she said.

Fellow San Jose resident Anette Dow is worried about Trump's stand on climate change.

"I'm worried he's going to roll back and that any gains made over the last year will be undone and the health of the planet will deteriorate past the point of saving," she said.

Tens of thousands of people partook in a wide of array of protests, marches and rallies in the wake of Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Droves of people clad in pink, pointy-eared "pussyhats" also took to the streets of Oakland to take aim at the new president and propagate the message that women will not remain silent over the coming years. The scene was raucous, but people remained peaceful while voicing their opinions.

"It's just amazing, so amazing that so many people are opposed to the new regime and what's happening with women's rights," Kathryn White from Oakland.

An estimated 60,000 people walked in unison near Frank Ogawa Plaza and Lake Merritt during the march, according to city officials.

Thousands of people gathered at San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza to participate in the Women’s March. Sharon Katsuda reports.

Hours later, droves of people stood shoulder-to-shoulder outside San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza preaching similar messages.

Marchers could be seen flashing signs reading "Women's Rights are Human Rights" and "We are All Immigrants."

The Women's March in San Francisco just so happened to take place hours after anti-abortion advocates graced city streets during the Walk for Life West Coast rally.

Those taking part in Bay Area marches and rallies were advised to expect traffic delays both on city streets and public transportation. BART and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority increased service in hopes of accommodating those attending the various events.

Smaller scale marches also popped up in Bay Area cities such as Albany, Walnut Creek and Redwood City.

A unifying theme among speakers in Redwood City was a call for active citizenship as community leaders each vowed to continue work at the local level on education, protection of minorities and constitutional rights for all Americans.

Aside from the national Women's March in the nation's capital, an estimated 600 "sister marches" were planned to stretch across the United States, according to The Associated Press. In total, organizers believe roughly three million people took time on Saturday to speak up for women.

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