VISALIA — “No Trump, no war,” said a man with one megaphone in hand, and another slung over his shoulder. In between the chants, he invited those driving to join them for this cause. Roughly 30 protesters stood alongside him in protest of the U.S. bombing Iran over the weekend. 

Visalia Voices, a local grassroots network in Visalia,  hosted a protest on the southeast corner of Caldwell Avenue and Demaree Street on Sunday. 

Protesters held signs that ranged from a number of topics. One sign read, “No Wars with Iran,” while others called for the “release [of] all unredacted Epstein files.” 

Protester Arlene Winfrey said that she came to the protest to help raise the next generation by example. 

“I am 72 years old, and I am proud to be alive to do this again,” Winfrey said. 

Referring to her time protesting in the ‘60s and ‘70s, she wants the younger generation to know that it’s OK to have a voice to protest and take a stand against injustice. 

“You don’t have to take what is given to you,” Winfrey said. “You don’t have to accept the norm. It’s okay to be yourself. Nobody should be condemning anybody else, except pedophiles.” 

In the protest announcement, Visalia Voices referenced one of the recent bombings in Iran that hit Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school, which is now being reported to have resulted in the death of 165 people, with 96 others injured at the time this is written. 

“The people of this country reject another war for regime, change and empire,” the announcement reads. “A war which only serves the interests of a tiny elite —- and to distract the American people from the Epstein files.” 

Tory Escarsega, another protester, echoed this sentiment as he shared his reasoning as to why the Trump administration joined Israel in bombing Iran. 

“He’s doing one thing after the other because nobody will leave him alone about the Epstein files,” Escarsega said. “So he’s doing distraction after distraction to get people to turn their head the other way.”

Escarsega went on to say that the Trump administration could be starting a war to create a reason not to hold midterm elections. 

“He knows that once he steps down from office, he’s going to be in court and he’s going to be in prison for the rest of his life, including many other people,” Escarsega said. “We pretty much have a mob boss as a president right now.”