A Women’s March and Rally has been staged in downtown Ventura for the last eight years, but 2024 was the first time the rally was interrupted by an anti-abortion protester. The Jan. 20 disturbance happened near the start of the rally while a group of local Chumash people were on the stage for a traditional blessing under a gazebo in Plaza Park. A woman holding two signs with bold red lettering that included expletives waved them in front of event speakers and shouted about her opposition to abortion as tension rose in the crowd, which included hundreds of people.