PHOTOS: PACIFIC BEACH RALLY TO RECALL NEWSOM AND I GUESS SUPPORT TRUMP

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A man biking past the demonstration laughs at an exchange between onlookers and demonstrators

“Just because your team loses, it doesn’t mean you stop rooting for them.”

I overheard this while checking the traffic on my phone last Saturday. I looked up across the boardwalk and saw a passerby in a tense discussion with a Recall Newsom demonstrator. They meandered from one topic to the next, eventually to the capitol siege last month. I know it seems innocuous, but it really clarified something for me: there’s a type of person who acknowledges that Trump lost but still feels that Trump ought to be supported (and potentially, should have been re-elected).

a close up shot of several people, two men are maskless, and in the background there are thin blue line american flags in the background. a masked woman holding up two signs, the one in her right hand reads: 'CNN: Communist News Network! China News Network! MSM: Main stret media! CNN MSM would be in the toilet without Donald J Trump!!!' in bold text on a white backround the other sign reads: 'RecallGavin2020.com, Recall Newsom' it is in bold black text on a rellow backround. there is a red star design dividing the two texts from each other — Someone holds up a caution-tape yellow sign calling for the recall of Gavin Newsom in one hand, and a sign with a flowchart defining CNN as China News Network or Communist News Network in the other hand.

a red cross is seen on a wall in the background, in the foreground a mask-less trump supporter wearing a red trump 2020 shirt, and red hat holds up a trump 2020 flag with one hand, and is wearing dark sunglasses to the right of that person is a white sign with red text that reads 'Brainwashed!' and the the right of that sign is a don't tread on me flag — A man stands with a maga hat and a Trump 2020 flag. To his left is a sign that says ‘Brainwashed!’ and a Gadsen flag.

there is a dark skinned maskless woman wearing a maga hat and holding up a white sign in one hand with red text that reads 'Brainwashed!' and the other hand holds a small megaphone at the end. there is a thin blue line flag held by a man wearing a white mask there is the edge of a yellow flag above the thin blue line flag to the left of those two people are several maskless people, some looking towards the person holding th megaphone, others facing away — A demonstrator in a maga hat holds a sign that reads ‘Brainwashed!’ while speaking into a bullhorn. The individual is arguing with a pedestrian over the ethics of supporting Trump while being a person of color. Above the demonstrator’s head is a thin-blue-line flag.

In the foreground there are two men who appear to be shouting aggressively at eachother, neither has a mask on, and the one on the left is wearing a matching olive green hat and t shirt with a long sleeve black shirt underneath. he has a band neck tattoo. the other man is wearing a black tanktop and running shorts, with sunglasses on. behind them there is a dont tread on me flag, and a pop up tent with what appears to be merch, and other maskless people milling about. — A passerby confronts the demonstrators–primarily the individual in the maga hat with the Brainwashed sign–and Joe Collins is visible in full observing the discussion. Vignette added for emphasis.

Two people hold up a white banner with red text that reads: 'Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil but the people who wont do anything about it -Einstein. The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants, it is its normal manure -Thomas Jefferson' — Two demonstrators set up a sign by threading poles through loops in the plastic’s top and bottom edges.

The event was what I’ve come to expect from right wing demonstrations in my area, in that the crowd was eager to argue with passersby about the respective pros and cons of Trump and Biden. Their eagerness to confront the general public with the right’s view of reality set me on edge. Through megaphones, people claimed COVID transmissibility is overestimated and does not warrant lockdowns, to allege that Gavin Newsom was “lining his pockets with CCP money,” and to lambaste the protean liberal-democrat who is somehow pushing our country into communism. There was also, of course, reference to MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell’s _Absolute Proof–_a film which showcases a litany of conspiracy theories in an attempt to prove that Donald Trump won the 2020 election. The specifics were not discussed, but it was pitched to the audience as receipts that The Democrats stole the 2020 presidential election.

Chiropractic doctor and holistic medicine practitioner Cordie Williams speaks into a microphone while a photographer captures the moment. He is wearing a 1776 Forever Free shirt.

An unidentified speaker nearly yells into a microphone while holding up a fist to gesticulate and emphasize his points. In the foreground is a young man and an individual in a Joe Collins jacket, out of focus.

The same unidentified speaker yells into a microphone and points his finger for emphasis while the same Joe Collins employee is visible in the foreground.

Cordie Williams speaks while gesturing with his cigar for emphasis.

The unidentified speaker yells into a microphone while a gadsden flag blows into frame.N

The unidentified speaker pauses and raises a hand with spread fingers to provide emphasis and allow time for audience participation.

Cordie Williams poses for a video and a photo with an attendee, rhythmically swaying to the generic dance drum break being played on loop after the two speakers finished up. A trump flag flows in the breeze above his head, held by a man in a separate conversation in the background.

There was, partway through the day, a van whose broad side opened up to reveal a wall of speakers. A DJ manned the decks while strange men spoke. The first speaker was Cordie Williams, the founder of 1776 Forever Free, a “Community-Based Organization that Supports the Constitutional Rights of all Americans'' per the organization’s website. Williams, who was present at the D.C. capitol riot, is a licensed chiropractic doctor and holistic medicine practitioner. Williams referred to masks as “condoms” and “prophylactics,” referred to the governor as “Adolf Newsom,” and made at least two references to our unhoused population “urinating and defecating next to [the audience’s] home.” When Williams circled back to the topic of the unhoused and their bowel movements, he referred to said bowel movements as “little shifty-shiftys” and “Pelosis.”

A currently unidentified man urged the audience to stay in California and fight to prevent further decline. He urged the crowd to read both the constitution of the United States and the 1911 constitution of California. I assume he was referring to Proposition 8, which allows for the recall of public officials. What I remember most is his aggression, a familiar type I’ve seen at other rallies when a charismatic speaker wants to sow hatred of an “other”.

An individual in a Joe Collins jacket stands, facing away from the camera, while a second individual in a maga hat speaks into a bullhorn. The second individual is holding a large sign that says 'Brainwashed!'

The previously mentioned unidentified speaker is talking into a microphone. Joe Collins appears, incidentally, at the left edge of the frame, with a photographer and someone on his staff complete with matching Joe Collins jackets.

A small crowd of people talk while Joe Collins is again captured incidentally in the right third of the frame, looking down.

A passerby confronts the demonstrators--primarily the individual in the maga hat with the Brainwashed sign–and Joe Collins is visible in full observing the discussion. Vignette added for emphasis.

In a bizarre turn, CA-43 congressional candidate Joe Collins was present, along with 2-3 members of his team in matching jackets with his campaign’s logo. I do not know what someone campaigning in Torrance, CA would be doing 112 miles away in Pacific Beach, but my guess is he wanted to capture the Trump base for a future run against Maxine Waters. In any case, he found it politically expedient to attend a rally defined by COVID denialism and repeated references to CCP capture of the democratic party.

PHOTOS: PACIFIC BEACH RALLY to RECALL NEWSOM and I GUESS SUPPORT TRUMP

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