Hundreds gather in protest in Redwood City

“I didn’t know about this,” Andrew Bridges, a Woodside Hills resident said. “I was parking at Sequoia Station and saw everyone and said to hell with whatever I was doing at Sequoia Station.” 

The protest was originally planned to be held in Courthouse Square, but ultimately became a gathering near Theatre Way before moving into a march throughout the city. The group — which walked down Jefferson Avenue, blocked off two lanes on El Camino Real and came back up down Broadway — was bookended by two white trucks with the Mexico flag detailed on the hoods, driven by Gabriela Mendoza and her husband Alejandro.  

The group trekked to County Center, but not before dancing the Caballo Dorado, a popular Mexican line dance. More than 50 people danced joyously in the street before the group went back on marching. 

Many of those protesting were students who opted to miss school to make their voices heard. For Jennifer Rodriguez, a senior at Woodside High School, showing up at the protest was important as someone who was born here and has citizenship. 

“My mom was very hesitant to protest so I feel like I have more of that strength to come voice her concerns,” Rodriguez said.

The threat of raids from Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and rhetoric inflicted at the federal level have left many fearful. For Ismael Velarde’s mother, it has been hard to even leave the house. 

“My mom is one that can get scared easily, she fell for the fear mongering,” Velarde, who attends Cañada College, said. “I understand though.” 

Rodriguez attended the protest with Ally Ortega and Christina Mendoza, who both shared the same sentiment of responsibility. 

“Some might be scared to come out, so we’re out here representing them since we were born here, but we still have the Mexican and Hispanic blood in us,” Mendoza, a senior at Sequoia High School, said. “Immigrants fought to be here, they came from struggles just to give us a better life so we owe it to them to represent them in these protests when we can.”

For Ortega, a senior at Woodside High School, her own experience watching her father struggle to get his necessary papers also motivated her to attend. 

“I had to deal with that when I was younger so I don’t want anyone else to have to deal with it,” Ortega said. “There was always something in the back of your head that something could happen at any second.” 

For Redwood City resident Daisy Sotelo, the weight of deportation threats hits close as well. Sotelo’s mom lived in the United States for more than 30 years and struggled the entire time to establish her residency, including being scammed by lawyers alleging to help her case. 

“I’m very against separating children from their family, I went through it when I was 17 years old,” Sotelo said. “It hurts and it’s a trauma that I still haven’t gotten over. This is important.” 

Alongside Sotelo were her three children who attend school in the Redwood City School District. Pulling them out of school and closing down her business for the day was an important message to teach them, she said. 

“I want to teach my kids about our culture,” Sotelo said. “I want them to know that not everyone who crosses the border is bad, a lot of people come to have a better life.”

Although Bridges is not Latino or an immigrant himself, choosing to join the protest spontaneously was a decision made with little hesitation, he said.

“What happens to them matters to me,” Bridges said. “I don’t have to wait until something affects me personally. What affects people in my community affects me and what’s happening to our country affects me.”

Protesters shouted out declarations of the work ethic of the immigrant community — “Latinos no somos criminales, somos gente trabajadora,” which translates to we are not criminals, we are hardworking people — and that “no human is illegal.” Among protesters was a sense of pride in both their native country and the United States. 

“I feel more responsible in showing up as an American,” Velarde said. “This is what America is about. If something is weird with the people in government, we have to try to make some change.” 

The protest became a long march down El Camino Real toward Target and Marshalls near Woodside Road in response to the corporations putting an end to their diversity, equity and inclusion policies. 

Many American companies announced last week they would be scaling down their DEI initiatives after President Donald Trump dismantled the federal government’s own programs. Boycotts against companies that have scaled back these initiatives have grown in popularity, especially among the immigrant community, Sotelo said. 

“We’ve been boycotting since we found out about Target and Ross,” Sotelo said. “Us Latinos, we love Ross, we love Walmart, we love Target, but no. Last night, Costco was packed, so people are paying attention.” 

Not spending money in stores that have canceled diversity programs in “obedience” to the Trump administration is a substantial way for residents to make a statement, Bridges said. 

“We have a diversity of choice, we can go to Costco, we can go to other stores that value diversity,” Bridges said. “These companies that have complied with the Trump administration, that’s a problem. This is a time for courage.”