How San Francisco is standing up to hate groups this weekend
When a hate group plans on coming to town, the San Francisco Bay Area doesn't just let it happen.
Only two weeks after a deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Patriot Prayer -- a far-right group whose events have attracted white supremacists in the past -- had organized a rally that claimed to be a "freedom rally" at a San Francisco park on Saturday. It later canceled the event, but plans to hold a "press conference" that might not be any better.
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Rallies scheduled for Sunday across the bay in Berkeley are still set to take place.
Across the Bay Area, counter-protesters will stand up to hate with boats, cute kids, inflatable chicken Trumps, dance parties, drag queens, and more.
Just dance
Before marching to City Hall Saturday afternoon, a giant dance party will erupt at a popular city park. Dance-protesters are urged to bring boom boxes, radios, and speakers to shake it out.
Flower power
It's been 50 years since the Summer of Love in San Francisco. Reminiscent of those times, this group is donning flower crowns to peacefully protest.
Resistance rides
The city had planned to block most bus and car access to the the rally, so people are carpooling and offering rides to counter-protesters to get them closer to the event.
Paddle it out
Grab your kayak, paddle board, or surfboard. These protesters are taking to the water near the Golden Gate Bridge next to where the main rally was supposed to happen.
Sponsor a Nazi (not really)
Inspired by a German city that trolled visiting neo-Nazi marchers, this group will pledge money to charity for every person who attends the Patriot rally. That means for each racist who shows up, more money will be given to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a non-profit that monitors hate groups and other extremists. A plane will fly above the event with a banner showing how much cash has been raised.
Now that Saturday's event was canceled, the sponsorships might have to come from Sunday's Berkeley attendance.
Empathize a little
Listen up. Pop-up tents in SF and Berkeley will provide supportive, safe spaces to talk, discuss, debate, and understand each other.
Trump Chicken photobomb
An inflatable 33-foot-tall Trump Chicken was scheduled make an appearance in the bay, strategically floating behind the rally on a boat. Talk about photobombing hate.
Cuties unite
The youngsters are taking to the streets! This march in Golden Gate Park is for the youngest of activists with a "cutie parade" and sing-along.
Drag queens
his will be fabulous. Renowned drag queen Juanita More is leading the charge Saturday in the city's LGBTQ center before marching to City Hall, where another event will feature speakers and musicians, such as Michael Franti and Spearhead.
Bare buns, not arms
This group wants protesters to drop their pants and "moon the Klan," because "one big ass deserves another."
Even with the cancelation, the weekend should still be jam-packed with rallies, counter-protests, marches, and more events, with many mapped below.
Peace and love, San Francisco.
Topics Activism
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
