{"id":41058,"date":"2025-05-03T13:37:28","date_gmt":"2025-05-03T20:37:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=41058"},"modified":"2025-05-03T13:37:29","modified_gmt":"2025-05-03T20:37:29","slug":"its-our-time-to-stand-up-may-day-rallies-draw-thousands-to-s-f-oakland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2025\/05\/03\/its-our-time-to-stand-up-may-day-rallies-draw-thousands-to-s-f-oakland\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It\u2019s our time to stand up\u2019: May Day rallies draw thousands to S.F., Oakland"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By\u00a0David Hernandez<\/a>,\u00a0Molly Burke<\/a> Updated\u00a0May 2, 2025 (SFChronicle.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A May Day protest march heads south on Polk Street in San Francisco. Scott Strazzante\/S.F. Chronicle<\/em><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thousands of demonstrators rallied in San Francisco and Oakland on Thursday in defense of worker and immigrant rights and opposition to the Trump administration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In San Francisco, thousands of demonstrators gathered at Civic Center Plaza to celebrate unions and worker activism. Kim Evon, executive vice president of Service Employees International Union Local 2015, said the labor-supported rally offered an opportunity for people frustrated with the current state of politics to join in productive action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to stand for what is happening,\u201d Evon said. \u201cThis has always been the secret recipe. When we\u2019re united\u00a0\u2014 across our differences and our journeys\u00a0\u2014 with a vision of what this country should look like and how it should treat its people, we can fend off any attack.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The demonstration was part of countless nationwide May Day labor rallies, which drew large crowds in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C. The rallies focused on immigrant and workers\u2019 rights and condemned actions of the Trump administration, including large-scale cuts to the federal workforce and mass deportations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Theresa Rutherford, a nurse at Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco and president of SEIU Local 1021, said cuts to Medicaid and Medicare could hit home for health care workers represented by the union. Rutherford said Laguna Honda and San Francisco General both serve populations that rely on government programs for their healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rutherford said that unions, which have long had actions and celebrations for May Day, are once again the \u201cbastions\u201d of protection for people\u2019s rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have no choice,\u201d Rutherford said. \u201cIt\u2019s our time to stand up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A representative from Mujeres Unidas y Activas, a Mission-based immigrant organization, linked the fight for immigrant rights with that of worker rights. The woman, identified as Veronica, said that immigrants are working across every sector in San Francisco and contributing taxes, but lack the social protections that citizens have, including unemployment benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re workers. We\u2019re neighbors. We\u2019re community,\u201d Veronica said in Spanish. \u201cWe\u2019re human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and San Francisco Supervisor Jackie Fielder both attended the rally and spoke about fighting back against attacks on workers rights by the Trump administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Around 5 p.m., demonstrators marched down Market Street toward the Embarcadero, chanting support for unions and workers as they walked by cross streets of stopped traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s disgusting?\u201d one speaker asked the crowd. \u201cUnion busting!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many demonstrators came with other messages pushing back against President Donald Trump, calling for action against climate change and supporting Palestinians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ramsey Robinson, a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation and a mental health worker in the Bayview neighborhood, said billionaires are to blame for people working 40 hours per week still not being able to afford daily expenses. Robinson also emphasized that many Black workers face additional hurdles, including job instability and discrimination in the hiring process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll that we see is built and run by workers,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Cassondra Curiel, a teacher and the president of the United Educators of San Francisco, said that from the start of his presidency, Trump has attacked labor by firing federal workers and trying to revoke their rights to unionize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all suffering from the chaos,\u201d Curiel said. \u201cOur schools are sanctuaries for learning, sanctuaries for growing, sanctuaries for food, for resources.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Curiel said California\u2019s public education system is underfunded largely because of the billionaires surrounding Trump, including Elon Musk, who she said are not paying their fair share in taxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Oakland, a group of about 1,000 demonstrators marched along International Boulevard, from the Fruitvale Village to San Antonio Park. \u201cDefend workers\u2019 rights, defend the working class,\u201d the group chanted during the 1.5-mile trek. In Spanish, they added: \u201cEl pueblo unido, jamas sera vencido.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rally in Oakland kicked off with an Aztec dance and featured a slate of speakers who called attention to various causes, including the war in Gaza and police brutality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are here to be recognized as the workers we are\u00a0\u2014 who support the U.S. economy with our labor,\u201d said Silvia, a migrant who declined to share her last name to protect her identity.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dressed as Lady Liberty, Morgan Lynn of Richmond held a sign that read, \u201cGive me your tired, your poor\u2026 Yearning to breathe.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really a call to remind all of us to unite in defense of the best values of this country,\u201d she said of her costume. \u201cThe Statue of Liberty to me stands for these principles of welcoming people and giving all people the opportunity to achieve their dreams.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the crowd was Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas, who described the Trump administration as authoritarian. \u201cThis administration is trying to strip away\u2026 our constitutional rights and our rights to due process, especially for migrants,\u201d Fortunado Bas said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holding a large Mexican flag at the intersection of International Boulevard and 22nd Avenue, Juan Alberto Silva, 46, a member of Oakland Workers\u2019 Collective, said most migrants want a better life. \u201cWe didn\u2019t come to this country to steal or commit crimes. We came to work and get ahead,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

May 1, 2025|Updated May 2, 2025 11:10 a.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

David Hernandez<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BREAKING NEWS REPORTER<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Hernandez covers public safety for the San Francisco Chronicle. Before joining the Chronicle in December 2023, he reported on crime, law enforcement and criminal justice for the San Diego Union-Tribune. A graduate of San Diego State University, he is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. He was born and raised in Santa Cruz.<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Molly Burke<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

HEARST FELLOW<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Molly Burke is a Hearst fellow covering politics for the San Francisco Chronicle. In the first half of her fellowship, she reported on state politics for the Times Union in Albany, N.Y. She is from Davis, Calif., and previously covered breaking news for the Sacramento Bee and the Denver Post. She also previously worked as a data reporter for the Bay City News through the Dow Jones News Fund. Molly graduated from Northwestern University in 2023 with a major in journalism. Reach Molly at Molly.Burke@hearst.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0David Hernandez,\u00a0Molly Burke Updated\u00a0May 2, 2025 (SFChronicle.com) A May Day protest march heads south on Polk Street in San Francisco. Scott Strazzante\/S.F. Chronicle Thousands of demonstrators rallied in San Francisco and Oakland on Thursday in defense of worker and immigrant rights and opposition to the Trump administration.  In San Francisco,… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41058"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41058"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41058\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41060,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41058\/revisions\/41060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}