SANTA ANA – Chants and shouts echoed through downtown Santa Ana on Sunday night as about 350 people stood united against President-elect Donald Trump.

No shots were fired, no punches thrown Sunday as the protest started and ended peacefully, under the watch of the Santa Ana Police Department, whose presence extended to cars and mounted police escorting protesters.

Sunday’s protest started at the Old Orange County Courthouse in Santa Ana, then marched through the streets near the Civic Center and down Fourth Street as hundreds chanted and waved signs expressing disapproval of Trump.

Loreta Sierra, 20, of Santa Ana was one of the protest’s organizers. Sierra said that change is easier to enact when you can join hands with others who feel the same as you do and that the “dehumanizing” rhetoric of the election has made standing together all the more important.

“I personally think that when it’s just one person, some people might feel – I have even felt – ‘Where do we go from here? I’m just one person, I can’t do anything,’” Sierra said. “But when you see lots of people being determined and having the same goals in mind, it’s a lot easier to feel empowered.”

Though the crowd was adamantly against Trump, with signs reading “You can’t combover bigotry,” “Dump Trump now” and “No rapists in the White House,” protest leader Josh Brennecke, 25, of Tustin said the aim isn’t to oust Trump, but to send a message that bigotry won’t be tolerated.

“There’s a lot of protests saying to impeach Trump. He’s president; that’s a fact. What we’re saying is that if he goes after LGBTQ, if he goes after black or Muslim lives, trans or female lives, we’re going to make a stand,” Bennecke said. “We do not tolerate that. It’s not about impeaching him. The system is flawed, and what we’re doing is voicing our opinions and saying, ‘No, we don’t want this.’ We’re not saying impeach Trump, we’re saying we don’t agree with his supporters and ideas he has supported.”

Brennecke led the protest for hours as people stepped forward to speak. Members of various races and the LGBTQ community made their voices heard, warning Trump and his supporters that “love trumps hate.”

As the protest wound to a close, there was chatter among those participating about how smoothly it went.

Protester Chris Johnson, 29 of Santa Ana said peaceful protests like Sunday’s are good for keeping people engaged.

“There’s a system of complacency in our nation. We like to get riled up every four years and vote for one major political choice, and then fade back into obscurity and all the issues fade away. It’s important that we keep coming out,” Johnson said. “From what I see, the world is broken right now, and things like this help bring it together.”

Contact the writer: jwinslow@scng.com