Over one thousand Santa Barbara residents joined the nationwide “Fight the Trump Takeover” protest on upper State Street Saturday morning.
Indivisible Santa Barbara hosted the local protest starting at 10:00 a.m. along State Street between Hitchcock Way and Hope Ave.
An edhat reporter estimated there were between 1,200 to 1,500 people along both sides of State Street for the majority of the protest.
There were a variety of signs including “Don’t Poke the Bear” in reference to California’s state flag and “Rise Up Against Fascism.”
The nationwide “Fight the Trump Takeover” movement included over 50 protests in 20 states. The protest is part of a National Day of Action aimed at protesting Republican redistricting efforts, also known as gerrymandering, in Texas and other red states, which is supported by President Donald Trump.
“Trump knows the only way he can hold the majority after his budget betrayal is by changing the rules in the middle of the game to avoid accountability for ripping health care and food away from millions of Americans,” said Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin in a statement.
Local organizers state this mobilization is a direct response to Trump’s plan to rig the 2026 election by redrawing Congressional districts in favor of Republicans and attacking the voting rights of communities of color, young people and the working class.
“This is not a partisan political fight,” said Ian Paige, an organizer of Indivisible Santa Barbara. “It is a pressure test of our democracy. Trump’s policies are deeply unpopular—from the persecution of our immigrant friends and neighbors to the invasion by American soldiers of cities like Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. But rather than face backlash from angry voters, Trump has ordered Republicans in Texas and elsewhere to deliver him additional seats in Congress. We urge all friends of democracy—Democrats, Independents and Republicans—to stand up against this naked, dictatorial power grab.”
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Anyone supporting Trump and the MAGA movement at this point is an enemy of the people. The enemy walks among us. This administration uses tactics honed by ISlS.
What a beautiful country
Resist fascism!
Article states that an organizer of Indivisible SB said that this is not a partisan political fight and that it is a pressure test of our democracy. Also that there were a variety of signs including “Don’t Poke the Bear” in reference to California’s state flag and “Rise Up Against Fascism.”
In this context, here’s another concern… what’s happening to state’s rights under rapid development of our coast for billionaire investment / our nearby commercial spaceport:
Trump signed an executive order Wednesday directing government agencies to “eliminate or expedite” environmental reviews for commercial launch and reentry licenses.
The FAA is charged with ensuring launch and reentries comply with environmental laws, comport with US national interests, and don’t endanger the public.
The drive toward deregulation will be welcome news for companies…
https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/08/trump-orders-cull-of-regulations-governing-commercial-rocket-launches/?comments-page=3#comments
“It’s concerning that it could potentially undermine the rights of a state to determine how it wants its coast used, which was the very fundamental premise of the congressionally authorized Coastal Zone Management Act,” he said. “We shouldn’t see any president, no matter what their party is, coming in and saying, ‘This is what a state should prioritize or should do.’”
https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/07/environmental-protection-rules-for-rocket-launches-targeted-by-trump-administration/
At maximum cadence, the Proposed Action to increase launches would use up to 21.1 million gallons (65.6 ac‐ft) of water per year. VSFB primarily relies on State Water, which is sourced from precipitation and groundwater, primarily from snowmelt in the Sierra Nevada mountains. However, during annual maintenance that lasts two to three weeks, VSFB utilizes four water wells in the San Antonio Creek Basin.
https://vsfbfalconlauncheis.com/Portals/falconprogrameis/PublicDocuments/VSFB_Falcon_Launch_Draft_EIS_May_2025_Volume1.pdf
Trump won both the electoral and popular vote in last November’s presidential election.
That didn’t make him king.
And that means he can break the law? Only for cult members.
His lie about it being a “landslide”victory is so typical, he won by 1.5%. Do you think he’d have won if he campaigned on the truth of what he’s doing: billions of dollars in his own pockets, gift of a 747, 34 felony counts, he’s such a crook and a criminal, indiscriminately having immigrants kidnapped and disappeared against judges orders, ordering troops into American streets, wildly erratic tariff policy, hundreds of thousands of federal employees fired including nuclear and health scientists who had to be hired back, need I go on?
Get off the hatred train!
Get off the cult train
FecalPoint – Embarrassing, isn’t it?
Unless you’re someone who doesn’t like American values.
And therefore … ?
He likes his supporters to be stupid, ignorant, dishonest, and fascistic. Well done.
At least all his voters don’t have free housing, free everything(all payed for by the taxpayers) and here illlegally
ANON – LOL you don’t know anything, do you? Red states (full of “his voters”) are the biggest welfare recipients in this country.
You people are so clueless. White poor people, even MAGAt, have access to subsidize (free) housing, food, education just as much as any undocumented person.
Learn facts please.
So what Fernald?
Yeah yeah. Unlike Republicans I don’t see anyone here disputing that. Don’t really know what point you’re trying to make, but I can tell you this – a lot of the people who voted for Trump realize they made a big mistake. Anyone can fall for BS once (after all, the Republicans ran an impressive campaign, Kamala stepped in it big time on the talk show circuit, and Democrats in general looked inept at best), but to continually rub your face in it with your mouth and eyes open once you realize it’s BS is either masochism, insanity, plain old stupidity, or all of the above.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Shame on you. You’ve been suckered by a narcissistic fraud and child rapist defender not once, but twice now. For normal people, that would be embarrassing. I guess you relish in it?
I didn’t vote for Trump not once, definitely not twice..No one to vote for imo.
facepalm
“Papers with U.S. State Department markings, found Friday morning in the business center of an Alaskan hotel, revealed previously undisclosed and potentially sensitive details about the Aug. 15 meetings between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir V. Putin in Anchorage.
Eight pages, that appear to have been produced by U.S. staff and left behind accidentally, shared precise locations and meeting times of the summit and phone numbers of U.S. government employees.
At around 9 a.m. on Friday, three guests at Hotel Captain Cook, a four-star hotel located 20 minutes from the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage where leaders from the U.S. and Russia convened, found the documents left behind in one of the hotel’s public printers.”
More:
https://www.npr.org/2025/08/16/nx-s1-5504196/trump-putin-summit-documents-left-behind
But White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly has rejected that there’s anything relevant here, going so far as to call out NPR for exaggerating its significance. She characterized the documents as nothing more than a “multi-page lunch menu” and blasted NPR for sensationalizing the discovery.
“It’s hilarious that NPR is publishing a multi-page lunch menu and calling it a ‘security breach,’” Kelly told ABC News. She said:
“This kind of so-called ‘investigative journalism’ is exactly why people don’t take them seriously anymore – and why they’re no longer taxpayer-funded thanks to President Trump.”
Any old excuse for a clown car administration.
What investigation of Kelly’s lies have you done, Mr. P h?
That voting block (in the pictures) will be dead or in hospice in 5 years; 10 years at the most.
As will Trump. So what? If your point was supposed to be that the protesters are too old to qualify to participate in democracy, then people even older than most of them are certainly too old to be president, right? It’s hard to glean a message from your post, really, except that Trump should be removed from office – am I right? In that case, I agree
Well said, Anon. Its fatal flaw is that it’s perfectly logical and avoids all hyperbole, so there may not be any entry point for it in Trumpian minds.
More like Thumpian
What a bizarrely unkind and irrelevant comment. There are people of all ages in those photos.
LOL. And?
DENNIS – what an absolutely stupid thing to say. There are literally children in some photos.
You freedom-hating child rape defenders sure say some mindless stuff.
I know posting hateful comments is your favorite hobby, turns out it’s one of women’s least favorite hobby for men. You’re not winning any friends here.
HATS – I’m not here to make friends. Sounds like a you thing. I’m here to call out liars, bigots and people who defend and support child rapists.
Liars – explain?
Bigots – someone who does not agree with Sacjon
Child rapists – this is a reach. Are you talking about the list? Until released you have to asssume that all the people you vote for are on it. I’m not saying whether or not I think DJT is on there, but I think we all have to take into consideration that a lot of the people in Epstein proximity were democrats too. Also, being on the list does not make you a child rapist. Knowing one and even being friends with one does not make you one. Turning a blind eye, yes of course you are a monster.
But realistically we all know people who have done pretty awful things that we just don’t know about. It could be your partner, best friend, neighbor or a stranger on the street.
Assumption is a bitch and honestly Sac, you’d get a lot further if you didn’t make so many about any one that has the “audacity” to disagree with you.
LOL!!!! Get further with WHAT? No one here is changing their mind bud.
STONER – “Turning a blind eye, yes of course you are a monster.”
OK, so why do you still support a man who had a child rapist moved to a minimum security prison (think Martha Stewart) and “wished her well?”
This is what I’m talking about. You guys are bending over backwards to avoid condemning or even criticizing your dear leader like a bunch of fanboys. He’s admitted to (more like bragged about) sexually assaulting women. He’s walked into teen pageant dressing rooms. He was best friends with Epstein during the height of his child raping years and straight up f*cking said he knew Epstein “likes them young.”
Now you sit here and defend and try to dodge that crap?
Of course you all support defending child rapists. You do it every time you type here. Just like with the racism and homophobia. You say “what? no, we aren’t like that” but you full throatedly support everything he does.
SBTONER – “Liars – explain? Bigots – someone who does not agree with Sacjon Child rapists – this is a reach”
Liars – those of you who come here denying facts and reality and spread false information. Come on, do I really need to say more.
Bigots – those of you who defend/support/promote racist/homo/transphobic ideals and policies.
Child rapists – I never called anyone here that. I’m talking about you people who stay silent and continue to support a man who is defending and granting leniency towards one of history’s worst child rapists. If Biden or Clinton are on the list, lock em up too. That’s what you MAGAmorons can’t understand. We are not beholden to our candidates like some weird hero worship thing. If they had anything to do with trafficking children for billionaires to rape, lock em up.
I want justice for those victims. Why won’t your guy do anything toward that end? Ask yourself that.
And just stop with the “doesn’t agree with Sac” BS. I disagree with plenty here, but that doesn’t make them racists or liars. It’s the words they use that show who they are. You all are so lazy. You just sit there and say I don’t agree, but never attempt to clarify why your position is not based on verifiable lies, bigotry or hate for people born differently than you. Lazy.
You should learn from, Basic and some of the other trolls here whose comments are at least vaguely relevant.
[That was a response to brainwentwithhat, whose comment seems to have been deleted]
Huh? Who made you judge and jury?
Huh? Makes no sense.
He has a lot more friends here than you do … in part because of how stupid and irrelevant you comment is.
Interesting location for a protest, which does not seem particularly visible as compared to where the “No Kings” protest was along the waterfront a few weeks ago. There would be much more impact at State/Las Positas or State/La Cumbre. It does not seem that these protestors were disruptive at all and made no attempts to block roads or driveways. The good thing is that there is plenty of shade where they “set up camp” and plenty of parking at Whole Foods and B of A.
3 years 4 months more!
It could be a LOT longer than that for these apparently unhappy (yet often smiling and having fun while protesting, interestingly) folks if they and their party doesn’t figure out a way to get votes in states other than most-liberal CA, that’s for sure. They, the Dems, don’t seem to have changed any of their fundamental ultra-left policies and directions that lost them the last election to begin with. And I don’t expect them to either. It’s all Trump-hating, but no sign of what THEY would do differently about key issues – foreign policy, the economy, immigration, etc. I think the Dem leaders are just hoping Trump fails and supporting lefties to rally against ICE. If that’s your strategy, well…I think it’s a real gamble. Hint: not everyone thinks like you, especially outside of the little Santa Barbara, Ca bubble. I absolutely support their right to protest. They picked a good spot too. Half of them could, and probably did, do their shopping at Whole Foods afterwards. Looks like that kind of crowd!
Nobody’s reading all that blah blah
Only you, Mr. Blah blah blah
Release the epstein files…
With any luck, decency and sanity will survive this period of decay.
It’s so critical that we need it counted down by minute!
Enjoy paying those tariffs on your new hats. Are we great yet?
I got enough hats.
But very little of what is commonly found under one.
Just ignore these silly protests. These are those obnoxious people who studied, and got good grades throughout their schooling, and took to heart lessons about Civics, History, and basic human decency. They are irrelevant in a world dominated by criminals.
Peaceful, nonviolent protesting like this is always fine, but spouting this nonsense elitism about education isn’t going to get you too far. The smart vs. dumb narrative that you and a lot of other Dems are parroting is a bad play if you’re thinking ahead for the next election and want a different result.
Truth hurts sometimes, Doc. How else do you explain voting for a convicted criminal who has bragged about sexually assaulting women, commited fraud, been caught lying throughout his entire life, known the world over to be a narcissist who doesn’t give af about the people who elected him and was best friends with child rapists?
That’s as dumb as it gets. Well that, or you all knew those things and still supoort him. Not sure which is worse.
So the protestors are the smart people who got the good grades, and are very knowledgeable about civics, not to mention being and decent human beings. But Trump supporters are dumb racists who live in red, backwoods ignorant states. Maybe they hang drywall for a living too! That’s for Alexbluey. Like that’s a bad thing…working on people’s homes. It’s so elitist.
That’s the gist of Macpuzl’s “anonymous” statement, and multiple statements you’ve made as well. We see it here all the time from you and others. Own it. Run on it next time. See how it goes. That’s my point. I think it’s a terrible outlook for what seems to have taken over your life – politics, and winning the next presidential election. TDS is real.
Not all Trump supporters are dumb racists but they have no problem voting for and supporting a dumb racist. Not to mention a felon, rapist, and BFF of Epstein. So… willfully ignorant or plain ignorant, who knows.
BASIC – like ANON below says, not all of you guys/gals are dumb racists. Some of you actually support this stuff.
As for candidates, you are obsessed with this idea that commenters here who trash you MAGAts for being uneducated, gullible bigots or both (no other options), we don’t pick the candidates. Not really at least. No present Dem hopefuls are banking on this sentiment. Of course it’s polarizing and no smart Dem would run on it. Fact remains though, we’re not going to stop calling a spade a spade. Walks like a duck, etc etc…
I know you don’t like being labeled as uneducated, given how extensive and highly decorated your diploma wall is, but the fact remains: you chose a man who’s entire persona is based on himself and hate/revenge against those he thinks crossed him. Everyone with 2 brain cells knew who Trump was and yet you STILL thought this vile sack of garbage would do something to benefit anyone other than himself and the billionaires who got him elected.
You got swindled. Duped. Conned. And now you want to try to convince us you’re not wilfully ignorant? No man, you wanted this level of cruelty even if it cost you more and burdened your children and grandchildren with debt and filthy air. You wanted this hate and evil so bad, you didn’t care about the cost.
THAT is what makes people like you so reprehensible.
Sacjon: At the end of the day, we are all in the same boat. We all need to accept who is now in charge at the national level, and no amount of complaining will change that. Like the cons who believe that Newsom is a terrible governor just because things are not going so well for him these days. Complaining about Newsom isn’t going to change a thing in my opinion. Most likely you’ll feel a bit better after the midterms, but there’s still a long way to go until 2028. Don’t give up the faith. Fight for what you believe is right. Other folks, who you don’t agree with, are doing the same for what is best for them. Just know that reaching common ground should be the goal for everyone (not just the wealthy). Basically, present a better option to what we currently have instead of living in a constant state of fear and bitterness. That approach does NOT work…never has.
Have you still failed to understand that I’m trolling you. I manipulate you. It’s funny.
You kinda sound jealous.
Who are you even talking to?
Thanks for the perfect example of a low information word salad…
I would not simply ignore this or any other protest, and certainly would not refer to them as being “silly.” The people who are out there protesting believe that they are doing something to make the world a better place, which is NOT one bit silly. Not sure how anyone would know that these particular protesters “got good grades throughout their schooling” …quite an assumption. If they did get good grades, that’s not a bad thing.
You really have a reading comprehension problem.
Bee swooping in with another ow information word salad.
“Not sure how anyone would know that these particular protesters “got good grades throughout their schooling” …quite an assumption.”
It’s a rational inference, not an assumption. I understand that you have no clue how intelligent people reach that conclusion.
Information for the Dok on where the educated and the ignorant get their news:
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/08/18/how-the-audiences-of-30-major-news-sources-differ-in-their-levels-of-education/
ZIPS – you keep calling us “brownshirts.” OK, so then explain it.
Can you provide a single, fact and reality based example of how liberals are trying to take away Constitutional rights or anything that could be deemed fascist?
This will be fun. What do you got?
Hey ZIPPY……
Still waiting here. Where is your example of liberals being fascists? And no, requiring people to wear masks is not fascism so don’t even try the covid thing.
This is how the magat imbeciles get their “news”:
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/17/russia-us-news-media-disinformation-campaign-00512173
Where was the lemonade stand? Also, why did they always protest right along where there’s cars? Why can’t they do it in a park or something? They’re afraid that they won’t have an audience
You definitely don’t grasp the concept.