The May Day March brought 500 people onto the streets of downtown San Diego on May 1 to fight for workers rights and to stand in solidarity with what they said are marginalized groups in San Diego and the United States.

The day started at San Diego City College with a Teach-In in front of the B building on Park Street. Educators and public figures from San Diego, including Councilman Chris Ward, spoke about multiple issues. Some included: climate change, the American prison system, women’s rights, students’ access to food, among others. Music was provided by La Rondalla Amerindia de Aztlan.

Around 300 people began the march on C Street, and then turned onto Broadway. Police officers escorted the protestors throughout the march. The protestors chanted as they marched, “This is what democracy looks like!”

They arrived at the Federal Building on Front Street, where a large flat-bed truck was waiting. Speakers got onto the back of the truck and addressed the crowd, while a group of six anti-protestors sporting Trump hats and American flags yelled at the May Day protestors though a megaphone. Two people were arrested, one May Day protestor and one anti-protestor.

During the rally, a 14-year-old girl, a freshman at Lincoln High School, began to have a panic attack and hyperventilate on the sidewalk. A crowd immediately surrounded her, and a nurse volunteered her help. The girl had a seizure, and two police officers called an ambulance that took the student and her friend to Scripps Mercy Hospital in Hillcrest.

Shortly after, the large truck led the way for the official May Day March to Chicano Park. The group grew to around 500 as other organizations joined the march. The truck led the protestors with two speakers calling out chants, and a young drummer from the Danza Azteca Calpulli Mexihca dance company held a consistent beat on the truck while dancers in traditional costume led the marchers on the ground.

Once the march reached Chicano Park, the dance company performed along with a singer and another group of young dancers. The rally ended as it began, with calls for unity and solidarity, and a request for those who participated to continue their fight for justice every day.