General Discussion

ST. PETERSBURG — A women's rights protest of more than 20,000 people swamped downtown streets Saturday in a rejection of President Donald Trump

Organizer Amy Weintraub said for an event that was expected at its conception to draw only hundreds, the outpouring can be seen as the inception of a new wave of activism in the region.

"This is the first step in building a movement for people in the St. Petersburg area to get involved in social justice issues at a critical time," Weintraub said. Mayor Rick Kriseman declared Saturday as Women's Rights Day in St. Petersburg and assured the crowd that the city was a safe place amid a fractured America.

"If you're worried about what comes next in this country, you should know St. Petersburg is your shelter and we have your back," he said. "We're all in this together."