At 3 p.m. on Monday, a few dozen university students and retired people gathered in front of City Hall for the nationwide women’s strike, expressing dissatisfaction, fear, and rage with President-elect Donald Trump. The dark gray sky made it feel more like 5 p.m. but the fact that the crowd was relatively sparse served as a reminder that most people are busy on the first day of the workweek.
“I don’t see a lot of people here, which is discouraging,” said one self-described retired woman.
Another woman, who said she was the organizer and a UCSB graduate, took exception: “This isn’t Los Angeles or New York. There are 90,000 people here in total. A lot of people are working. Some of us care enough to show up.”