SACRAMENTO — 1000’s of rebels gathered exterior the state Capitol on Saturday, mindlessly trampling the garden of their Hokas, even because the autumnal solar in Sacramento pressured them to strip off their protecting puffer vests.
With chants of “No Kings,” many of those chaotic protesters spilled off sidewalks into the road, as if curbs held no energy of containment, no that means of their anarchist hearts.
Clearly, the social order has damaged. The place would it not finish, this reporter puzzled. Would they subsequent be demanding passersby honk? May they dare provide fiery speeches?
The reply got here all too quickly, when inside minutes, I noticed clear proof of the organized anti-fascist underground that U.S. Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi has been warning us about.
The “Raging Grannies of Sacramento” had arrange a stage, and had been testing microphones prematurely of bombarding the group with track. These girls wore coordinating aprons! They’d printed indicators — indicators with QR codes. If grandmothers who know the right way to use a QR code aren’t harmful, I don’t know who it’s.
Ellen Schwartz, 82, instructed me this Canadian-founded group operates with out acknowledged leaders — an “worldwide free-form group of gaggles of grannies,” is how she put it, and I wrote all of it down for Kash Patel.
Inside moments, they’d robbed Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews of their most well-known duet: “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” mutilating it into “tremendous callous fragile racist narcissistic POTUS.”
Ellen Schwartz, 82, is a member of the “Raging Grannies,” a bunch that protested on the “No Kings” rally in Sacramento on Saturday.
(Anita Chabria / Los Angeles Occasions)
To not be outdone by the Silent Technology, 2-year-old Rhea additionally confirmed up, first clinging to her mother, then toddling round on her personal as if she owned the place. This can be a child to regulate.
Since Rhea can’t but discuss her political views, her mother and father gave me some perception into why she was there.
“I’m undecided if we’ll nonetheless have a civilization that enables protest very lengthy, so I need her to a minimum of have a reminiscence of it,” mentioned her dad, Neonn, who requested that their final names not be used. Like many People, he’s a bit hesitant to attract the attention of authority.
Kara, Rhea’s mother, had a extra hopeful outlook.
“America is the folks, so for me I wish to preserve bringing her right here in order that she is aware of she is a part of one thing larger: peace and justice,” she mentioned, earlier than strolling off to see the dinosaurs.

Kara holds her 2-year-old daughter, Rhea, on the rally in Sacramento.
(Anita Chabria / Los Angeles Occasions)
Dinosaurs, that’s proper. And tigers. And roosters. And unicorns. Even a cow hugging a chipmunk, which I imagine is now unlawful in many of the South.
Sure, people, the Portland frog has began one thing. The place was filled with un-human contributors appearing like animals — dancing with abandon, stomping round, saying actually imply issues about President Trump.
In the meantime, the scent of roasting meat was simple. Individuals, they had been consuming the new canines! They had been consuming the grilled onions! There have been immigrants in every single place promoting the stuff (and it was scrumptious).
I spoke to a Tyrannosaurus Rex and requested him why he went Late Cretaceous.
“When you don’t do one thing quickly, you’ll have democracy be extinct,” Jim Brief instructed me from contained in the go well with.

Jim Brief, left, and his spouse, Patty Brief, donned dinosaur costumes on the “No Kings” rally in Sacramento.
(Anita Chabria / Los Angeles Occasions)
His spouse, Patty, was ensconced in a coordinating go well with, hers brown, his inexperienced. Didn’t they fear about being labeled anti-American for being right here, as Home Speaker Mike Johnson and others have claimed?
“I’m not afraid,” Patty mentioned. “I’m antifa or a hardened legal or what’s the opposite one?”
“Hamas?” Jim queried. “Or an unlawful immigrant?”
“I believe folks want extra historical past,” Patty mentioned.
I agree.
And the day hundreds of thousands of very common People turned out to peacefully defend democracy — once more — could also be a part of it.