Hundreds protest in downtown Santa Rosa as part of nationwide pro-impeachment rallies

Chanting phrases such as, “Impeach now!” and “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Donald Trump has got to go,” several hundred people turned out Tuesday night in Santa Rosa’s Old Courthouse Square to support the impeachment of President Donald Trump.

The rally - along with protests in Petaluma, Sonoma and Healdsburg - was one of more than 600 staged across the country in advance of Wednesday’s anticipated impeachment vote in the House of Representatives. The demonstrations were coordinated in part by progressive public policy advocacy group MoveOn.org.

“This is a demonstration of the American people standing up for something we feel very passionate about: absolutely no one is above the law,” said Santa Rosa resident Mara Johnson.

Many waved signs and cheered as passing cars honked in support.

Last week, the Judiciary Committee approved two charges against Trump: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The charges stem from the accusation that Trump asked Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden, his rival in the 2020 elections, while withholding U.S. foreign aid as leverage.

Santa Rosa’s 5:30 p.m. rally was coordinated by Indivisible Sonoma County, an organization established after the 2016 elections that aims to hold elected officials accountable. Last month, Sabra Briere, a member of the organization’s advisory council, suggested the rally to her colleagues after she heard about the nationwide movement from MoveOn.org.

“My biggest fear is that if we don’t challenge this behavior, we are going to have the next president or the one after that do this and worse because we’re essentially greenlighting this kind of behavior in elections,” Briere said Tuesday in an interview before the rally.

Meanwhile, more than 1,000 people marched in San Francisco’s pro-impeachment rally. Several other Sonoma County communities also held their own rallies.

Santa Rosa resident Kevin Hutchinson emphasized the importance of smaller, local rallies, since not everyone in the county can travel to the city to protest.

“There’s a large community here that definitely wants to see Trump impeached,” said Santa Rosa resident Hillary Cuff of the need for local rallies.

Cuff said she brought her young daughter along to show her the importance of standing up for democracy.

Protesters hoped the turnout at Tuesday’s rallies would prove that many people support impeachment, despite some Republican representatives’ claims that Americans don’t care about the issue.

Third-generation Santa Rosa resident Norma Baumsteiger weaved in and out of people gathered in the square Tuesday, blowing on a whistle hanging around her neck while shouting, “Blow your whistle and dump Trump!” and “What do we want to do? Dump Trump!”

“We have to make our voices heard,” Baumsteiger said. “We have to get a bad president out of office who’s bad for our country.”

Some felt that showing up to the rally was the very least they could do.

“When I come out here, it helps me feel like I’m doing something,” said Diana Dodson, a Windsor resident. “It lifts my spirits a little.”

Rohnert Park resident Shirley Johnson said the rally was “really healing for a lot of people” who have struggled to cope with Trump as their president.

“It’s been a rough three years. It’s nice to feel unity - that we actually got some kind of action going on,” Johnson said. “We’re making a stand.”

You can reach Staff Writer Chantelle Lee at 707-521-5337 or chantelle.lee@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ChantelleHLee.