SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Crowds of vaccine mandate protesters calling themselves the "People's Convoy" descended upon the California Capitol on Tuesday afternoon, hoping to recapture the energy of past rallies across the U.S. and Canadian border.
The convoy that landed in Sacramento was modeled after the Freedom Convoy protests in Canada over vaccine mandates for truckers crossing the U.S. border.
But truckers and other members of the People's Convoy in Sacramento want to get rid of all vaccine-related mandates. One of the ways they hope to do this is by calling for an end to state of emergencies across local governments.
Though some vaccine mandates in California have been suspended, such as those for children, Gov. Gavin Newsom has yet to lift the State of Emergency declaration for COVID-19 despite an outcry from Republican state lawmakers.
Members of the People's Convoy organized the Sacramento rally using mostly social media platforms such as Facebook and Telegram. Truckers livestreamed their journeys down to Sacramento from across Northern California, and many gathered at the Sacramento Raceway Park leading up to the rally at the State's Capitol.
"Great crowd at the (Capitol) in Sacramento, CA!" one protester wrote to the People's Convoy Telegraph group of about 24,000 members.
Sacramento police confirmed a road closure on 10th Street between L and N Streets because of Tuesday's convoy.
