As protests against the stay-at-home order erupt all over the country, a rally in Downtown San Diego also drew a sizeable crowd Saturday.
As the crowd gathered -- many without masks and most not practicing social distancing -- Ella Conrad kept her distance while supporting the cause because she's asthmatic.
She heard about the rally on Facebook and said she's worried about her livelihood as a commercial real estate owner.
“I looked up protests after what happened this week when we found we’re not going to get the federal program. We came out to let the governor know that’s not okay, we need to get back to work,” Conrad said.
Many of the protestors held signs saying they want to go back to work. Some said they feel their constitutional rights are being taken away.
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County leaders on Friday stressed why the stay-at-home order will continue.
“We don’t want to throw away all the progress that’s been made. We don’t want to throw away all the sacrifices and we don’t want to end up in a bad situation,” Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said. “We want to sure we do this right, so we have to continue to be on a solid footing,”
Conrad does not agree and thinks San Diego has flattened the curve.
“Let’s get people back to work, let’s get the economy rolling,” Conrad said.
As the protest started, San Diego Police kept a close eye on everything.
The San Diego Police Department confirmed to NBC 7 that one person, the organizer of the protest, was cited. They were unable to confirm the gender and name of the person.
There was another protest planned Sunday morning at Swami’s Beach in Encinitas. The organizer says she would like the trails there to reopen.