A unity rally was held near Main Beach in Laguna Beach on Saturday morning, Aug. 19, a day before a planned “America First! Electric Vigil for the Victims of Illegals and Refugees” event is scheduled to be held in the same area.
The “From Charlottesville to Laguna Beach: We Stand Together” rally drew a crowd of about 350, according to a police estimate.
There were no major confrontations, and no arrests.
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![Police keep a watchful eye on protesters reacting to last week’s violence in Charlottesville, Va. Several hundred peaceful demonstrators took part in the the event, “From Charlottesville to Laguna Beach: We Stand Together” in downtown Laguna on Saturday, August 19, 2017. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)]()
Police keep a watchful eye on protesters reacting to last week’s violence in Charlottesville, Va. Several hundred peaceful demonstrators took part in the the event, “From Charlottesville to Laguna Beach: We Stand Together” in downtown Laguna on Saturday, August 19, 2017. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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![Ivan Enriquez of Santa Ana takes part in the “From Charlottesville to Laguna Beach: We Stand Together” rally in Laguna Beach on Saturday, August 19, 2017. He said he would not be attending Sunday’s rally. “I thought protesting today would be more positive,” he said about opposing groups coming together on Sunday for another rally.(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)]()
Ivan Enriquez of Santa Ana takes part in the “From Charlottesville to Laguna Beach: We Stand Together” rally in Laguna Beach on Saturday, August 19, 2017. He said he would not be attending Sunday’s rally. “I thought protesting today would be more positive,” he said about opposing groups coming together on Sunday for another rally.(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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![Hundreds of peaceful protesters line PCH in Laguna Beach rallying against the violence that happened last week in Charlottesville, Va. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)]()
Hundreds of peaceful protesters line PCH in Laguna Beach rallying against the violence that happened last week in Charlottesville, Va. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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![Protesters make their point during a rally in Laguna Beach on Saturday, August 19, 2017. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)]()
Protesters make their point during a rally in Laguna Beach on Saturday, August 19, 2017. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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![The owner of this dog, among hundreds of protesters in Laguna Beach, wants to “Make America Human Again.” (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)]()
The owner of this dog, among hundreds of protesters in Laguna Beach, wants to “Make America Human Again.” (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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![A man yells at protesters in Laguna Beach where hundreds came together to show solidarity against the violence in Charlottesville, Va. last weekend. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)]()
A man yells at protesters in Laguna Beach where hundreds came together to show solidarity against the violence in Charlottesville, Va. last weekend. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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The gathering was hosted by Indivisible OC 48, Indivisible OC-CA 46, the Laguna Beach Democratic Club, Together We Will Orange County, Women for American Values and Ethics and Orange County Justice Collaborative.
“It’s a rally to support peace, love and equality,” Gary LeFevre, president of the Laguna Beach Democratic Club said.
The decision to host it Saturday, the day before the America First! rally, was intentional.
“It’s a nice, safe way to have people show up and show their support for equality and not have to interact with the people on Sunday,” LeFevre said.
“Laguna Beach doesn’t tolerate diversity, we embrace diversity,” Laguna Beach Mayor Toni Iselman announced to those assembled Saturday morning. “We’re here today because we aren’t going to be here tomorrow … dancing with bad guys.”
Sunday’s protesters, she said, “want a fight.”
Laguna Beach police have announced they’re ramping up for Sunday’s rally.
The mayor’s speech was met with a sea of cheers, as people held signs saying, “The future is inclusive” and “We are one” higher. Just behind her was a giant “Unity over division, love over hate” banner.
After the first few speakers finished, protesters sang, “This land is your land.”
Joanna Weiss, the founder of Women for American Values and Ethics, said last weekend’s violence in Charlottesville motivated her to come out on Saturday.
The 44-year-old San Juan Capistrano resident and stay-at-home mom brought her 11-year-old daughter with her.
“I wanted to take a stand against white supremacy and for inclusion,” she said. “It’s about showing our children the world we want them to live in. The kids hear about Trump and Charlottesville and they have a lot of questions about the hate coming out of the White House. We have to talk to them about it.”
Trump condemned the white supremacists who incited bloody demonstrations in Charlottesville but he blamed “both sides” for the violence, drawing widespread criticism that he created a false moral equivalency between hate groups and the protesters who pushed back.
Also on Saturday, thousands of demonstrators chanting anti-Nazi slogans converged on downtown Boston in a boisterous repudiation of white nationalism, dwarfing a small group of conservatives who cut short their planned “free speech rally.”
An estimated 15,000 counterprotesters marched through the city to historic Boston Common, where many gathered near a bandstand abandoned early by conservatives who had planned to deliver a series of speeches. Police vans later escorted the conservatives out of the area, and angry counterprotesters scuffled with armed officers trying to maintain order.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.