Around 100 people gathered at a small meadow downhill from Dolores Park's "gay beach" on Saturday, to spread some good cheer in the aftermath of the election of Donald Trump to the presidency, an event that has troubled many San Franciscans. 

In addition to the group hug, people hugged each other individually and sang songs of peace, such as "Blowin' in the Wind."

The group hug was organized by Samantha Patterson, a 44-year-old queer woman.

"After the election, I had a lot of friends who were upset," Patterson told Hoodline. "I was upset. There was so much anger, and I wanted to give everyone a hug. Compassion can't be taken from us. Compassion can be shared."

Joyce Mayorga, a transgender woman, was among a group of people holding up a large "Group Hug" sign. She said that the trans community was traumatized by Trump's win, noting that calls to the Trans Life Line, a support hotline for transgender people, are at unprecedented levels.

"The first thing to do is stabilize the patient," she said. "One idea is to try to get positive energy back into people's lives. A lot of people are frightened."

Mayorga hopes that people will donate to organizations that can help, such as Trans Life Line, Transgender Law Center, American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood, and the Southern Poverty Law Center. 

After the group hug, people continued to hug each other individually. Some were in tears. As the singing continued, some talked about what they could do to help each other and to stand against the Trump presidency.

"Fear drives on isolationism and powerlessness," Patterson said. "And so by being able to bring people together, we can remove at least one of those things."