Five months ago, on Saturday, October 18, 2025, we gathered in downtown San Jose, over 10,000 young and old, women and men, veterans in wheelchairs and toddlers in strollers, to participate in the ”No Kings Day” protest march, as part of marches that were taking place throughout America.
Today,
Saturday, March 28, 2026, we were back in downtown San Jose, again as part of
3,300 rallies in all 50 States across America. The war of choice Trump unleashed
against Iran a month ago, in collusion with Israel, added more urgency to these rallies against the reckless demagogue in the White House.
As soon as my
wife and I reached St. James Park, the venue of the event, the organizers
informed us that this was a non-violent event, that under no circumstances were
we to argue or debate with any agitators, shout or heckle, gesture or smirk, or
block and follow them. Instead, we were advised to move away calmly and, if
things got out of control, to find a peace ambassador or “yellow vest.” An available resource to de-escalate was
(https://www.gandhiteam.org/).
We saw no agitators.
From noon until 2 PM, St. James Park was loud with our united voices
demanding an end to Trump’s tyranny and the illegitimate war he launched against
Iran that has already caused widespread death and destruction, including the
deaths of several American soldiers. Gas and food prices have gone through the
roof, bringing immense suffering to Americans and to people worldwide.
Perhaps the
most moving moment for me came when Democrat Ro Khanna, the Congressman for
California's 17th Congressional District since 2017, representing Silicon
Valley and cities that include Santa Clara, Cupertino and parts of San Jose,
and the prime mover behind releasing the infamous Epstein files, addressed the
gathering: “My grandfather was imprisoned for 4 years when he protested against
the British King for India’s independence from British colonial rule in the
1940s in India. Today, I, his proud grandson and a proud American, am joining
you against a demagogue pretending to be America’s King. There is no king in
America and we the people must see to it that there is never any king in
America.”
San Jose is
what America looks like, said a veteran to thunderous applause. Protesting
peacefully is one of the most patriotic things we can do, said another, again
drawing vigorous agreement from the gathering.
The posters we
saw told the story of what these protest marches were all about. It is easy to
feel despondent about how Trump is destroying democracy in America and wreaking
havoc in the world, but participating in these marches fills us with hope and
courage. We viscerally understand that we are not alone in this fight, that together
we can defeat Trump and Trumpism and restore the values on which America was
founded.
