On Labor Day, protesters part of the 17x17k Rally lined the sidewalk of El Camino Real, which stretched 17 miles from Redwood City to Santa Clara. 

The rally was one of many “Workers Over Billionaires” protests against billionaires and the Trump administration that occurred nationwide on Sept. 1. The event was organized by IdaRose Sylvester and Sally Lieber of TogetherWeWill, an activist organization. Its goal was to demonstrate solidarity and “demand a world that works for all of us.” One protester, Francesca Vescia, described the purpose of the protest.

 “Today, being Labor Day, the primary focus of this … human chain is to call attention to the fact that the current administration is prioritizing people who already have wealth and resources over workers and people who need support,” Vescia said.

The focus on anti-billionaire and anti-Trump messaging was seen in signs saying “honk if you’re not a billionaire” and “dump Trump.” However, many protesters took the opportunity to speak on various other issues like gun laws, LGBTQ+ rights, cuts to scientific research, and immigration. Immigration was a concern of protester Dawn Ehrlich. 

“Trump’s trying to get rid of immigrants for no reason other than they’re not white,” Ehrlich said. “My family is of Japanese descent [and] was put into camps during World War II. When Trump talks about ‘let’s round these people up and put them in camps,’ that’s a real trigger for me because it was wrong then, it’s wrong now.”

President Trump has been opening new immigration detention sites, such as the controversial site in Florida’s Everglades dubbed ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ and most recently at Fort Bliss in Texas.

Another issue that was brought up by protester Carol Sontag was climate change. The Trump administration has changed policy regarding greenhouse gases in favor of “Unleashing American Energy” and has pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord.

“My primary issue is climate,” Sontag said. “I’ve worked for nine years with a nonprofit trying to help raise awareness and also get policy … supporting a healthy climate for our children.”

Proposition 50 was another issue that came up. The proposition, which will be voted on Nov. 4, comes in response to Texas’s legislature’s redistricting and would allow California to change its district maps. Vescia, while against gerrymandering, expressed support for the proposition. 

“I think it’s a pretty unique opportunity we have here in California, with a progressive state government, to take a stand against what is happening in Texas,” Vescia said.

Fellow protesters Tim Birch and Nat Collins were also in favor of the proposition and gave out “redistrict for democracy” stickers. Collins listed many ways younger people can engage with politics.

“You can be out here, you can speak your mind, you can flyer, you can talk to other people your age about the issues and encourage adults into your lives to vote,” Collins said.

Birch also gave advice on how students can raise their concerns to their school district.

“Whenever students show up at school board meetings, school boards tend to listen,” Birch said. “So I encourage people to show up [and] find out what your school district’s policies are … and if you find that your school district’s policies are not protecting the most vulnerable, that is, transgender students, immigrant students, and others, raise your voice.”