Dozens of residents of La Jolla’s Casa de Mañana senior living community — some of them over 100 years old — took to the nearby streets over the weekend to protest policies and decisions of President Donald Trump.
At least 65 residents stood on the Casa de Mañana lawn along Coast Boulevard on March 1, many yelling chants or carrying signs containing messages against the Trump istration, and heard from speakers before walking a lap around the property.
The protesters were invited to make their own signs outlining what they were unhappy or worried about. Their objections covered a wide range of topics.
“Are you fired up?” asked 105-year-old resident and event co-organizer Alice Yee. “If so, shout it out. That is what we are here to do today.”
She encouraged residents to write letters to local elected officials to express their concerns about federal funding freezes for certain government programs.
“We want the money they have frozen to be freed up and given to FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency], to farmers and to hospitals,” said resident TJ Glauthier, who was deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy from 1999 to 2001 during President Bill Clinton’s istration. “We want the people who have been fired from their jobs back at work to keep this country going. We want immigration to be handled properly.”
He called the contentious White House meeting Feb. 28 between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “terrible” and said the United States needs to Ukraine in its three-year war with Russia.
Those who were able walked, used walkers or were pushed in wheelchairs around the block.
In 2022, about 60 Casa de Mañana residents held a similar protest to demonstrate their opposition to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion.
Yee, a key force behind the March 1 protest along with resident Judy Sowder, has a long history of activism and being what she calls a “change agent.” Over the years she also has been part of protests against President George W. Bush’s istration and the local demonstration against the Supreme Court’s 2022 abortion ruling.
“I was simply doing my thing in whatever part of the country I happened to be in,” Yee said, referring to her efforts to improve women’s living conditions on campus as dean of women at Central Washington University or serving as dean of students at Grinnell College in Iowa.
Before she could the latest protest, however, Yee had to overcome injuries from a series of falls that required months of rehabilitation. But she was able to the march with her walker, and her goal, she said, is to eventually be eligible for independent living again.
“I’ve never given up,” Yee said. “If it’s possible to recover, I’ll find a way.
“I’ve always tried to put my actions where my mouth was. … I realize I’m old, but that does not mean one doesn’t remain active. And the voices of oldies should be heard.” ♦
