Trump's Election Boosts Turnout At Oakland Fair For Activists

OAKLAND (KPIX) -- Misha Abbas is on a search.

She's looking for Bay Area organizations that will stand with her and her friends and family who, she says, are affected by Pres. Trump's travel restrictions.

In Oakland Sunday, Misha found a large, like-minded support group at an event organizers dubbed the Post-Inauguration Resource Fair.

"So many people are so threatened right now and what we need more than anything is a feeling of hope and a feeling of strength," said fair organizer Virginia White.

Dozens of local organizations set up booths and held workshops so people like Misha could learn how to become activists in various causes, such as the environment and health care.

The Berkeley chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is seeing an increase in people asking how they can lend support.

"It's up by an order of magnitude. It's like ten times as much concern with the public coming to the ACLU wanting to volunteer," David Offen-Brown, with ACLU Berkeley, told KPIX.

Amina Abid, with the San Francisco Council on American-Islamic Relations, is delighted by the response.

"This really is a grass-roots effort and they realize that even one person can make a difference," Abid said.

It's just what Misha Abbas came to be a part of.

"It's scary. It's difficult for a lot of us on a personal level and we're going to fight it and this is a great place to start," Abbas said.