Peaceful anti-Trump demonstration, march directed at Union Square shoppers

Alexis Manzanilla (center) joins protesters in Union Square during a march against President Trump. Alexis Manzanilla (center) joins protesters in Union Square during a march against President Trump. Photo: Noah Berger, Special To The Chronicle Photo: Noah Berger, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 10 Caption Close Peaceful anti-Trump demonstration, march directed at Union Square shoppers 1 / 10 Back to Gallery

About 200 protesters of President Trump — joined by scores of police officers — held a noisy rally and march from Union Square on Saturday afternoon, starting next to a giant Christmas tree and holiday ice skating rink, with confused tourists watching the show.

“I don’t have any illusions that we’ll impeach the president,” said Dwight Ost, 65, of San Francisco’s Noe Valley. “But I want to bring light on this issue to people who are out here shopping.”

Ost held a cardboard sign that said, “Dump the Chump.”

The peaceful event, one of several around the country Saturday, was sponsored by an organization called Refuse Facism. It began at 3 p.m. with speeches and chants loud enough to drown out a small handful of Trump supporters, including Amber Cummings, who organized a chaotic anti-Marxist rally in Berkeley in August.

Though Cummings and others tried to interrupt Saturday’s rally, they were outnumbered. Organizers kept the focus on Trump and managed to avoid the confrontations that have come to define protests in Oakland and Berkeley.

At about 4 p.m., the group embarked on a long, rambling march to BART’s 24th Street Mission Station. The marchers took up about half a block and proceeded up Market Street with a large contingent of police vans and motorcycles trailing behind.

Using a jury-rigged sound system atop a dolly, organizers led chants and drew cheers from bystanders outside the Orpheum Theatre. They stopped briefly in front of the Twitter building at 10th and Market streets to commemorate a rogue departing employee who shut down Trump’s account for 11 minutes Thursday. A couple of dozen protesters lay down briefly at the intersection of 16th and Market streets.

Some bystanders greeted the crowd with approval, but many shrugged.

“It’s pretty cool, but they are preaching to the choir around here,” said James Frame, 73, of the Mission District, who happened to be shopping at Safeway in the Castro when the protester ambled by.

“It’s great to see this, but in San Francisco everybody already feels this way,” said Rob Marsee, 29, who was standing outside a smoke shop in the Castro when the march went by.

Marsee, who is originally from Indiana, said his family in the Midwest voted for Trump.

The crowd started to thin as it veered through Noe Valley, past Dolores Park and down 18th Street toward the Mission, culminating at the BART station. Organizers from Refuse Facism remained upbeat, shouting in Spanish.

They will convene again at the 24th Street Mission BART station Tuesday afternoon, organizers promised.

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan