SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Thousands of Californians gathered Saturday night across the state to protest the newest restrictions put in place by Governor Gavin Newsom to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Last Saturday, Syndie Ly helped organize the first "Curfew Breakers" rally.
"Across 16 cities, we had 10,000 people show up," she said.
Ly lives in Huntington Beach and said in four days their Facebook page "blew up."
She said people are frustrated by the curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. saying it is an overreach, "when the government starts telling you when you can leave the house, how many people you can invite over to your own home."
What's happening in the U.S. reminds her of when her family escaped in Vietnam.
"I was born in China and my parents emigrated to Vietnam, and we came here [to the U.S.] legally but we came here as refugees to escape North Vietnam during the fall of Vietnam ... Just being told what to do, a lot of the government overreach, I feel we're actually on the brink of getting back to that and that's why I'm involved in this," said Ly.
She said between layoffs and businesses being forced to close, the impact on people's livelihoods is worse than the virus itself.
"It's our lives, and we feel we are responsible individuals that can make our own decisions," Ly said.
The rallies will continue every Saturday, starting at 10:01 p.m. until Ly and the organizers see change, she added.
In San Diego, a rally is planned for Saturday at 10:01 p.m. at 910 N. Harbor Drive.
