Thousands against Donald Trump’s policies gathered on April 5 to participate in the nationwide “Hands Off” demonstrations.
The growing opposition movement held over demonstrations in more than 1,200 locations across all 50 states. Advocacy groups championing LGTBQ+ and civil rights, labor unions, and veterans activists took to the streets to protest Trump’s presidency. Thousands turned out. In Boston alone, 100,000 were estimated to have protested, CBS News reported.
From Palestine to immigration, all issues heightened under the Trump administration were addressed by protestors. The demonstrators also denounced Elon Musk and his leadership over the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has prompted mass federal layoffs. Musk’s crusade to downsize the federal government under DOGE has sparked widespread backlash, making him a secondary figure to condemn at the rallies.
Activists present stated their intentions to make their voices clear and known. According to the Associated Press, one deemed Trump’s actions as “personal” attacks on the American people.
“The attacks that we’re seeing, they’re not just political. They are personal, y’all,” Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign advocacy group. “They’re trying to ban our books, they’re slashing HIV prevention funding, they’re criminalizing our doctors, our teachers, our families and our lives.”
She added, “We don’t want this America, y’all… We want the America we deserve, where dignity, safety and freedom belong not to some of us, but to all of us.”
Many think the criticism should be nonpartisan, with a brewing trade war making living conditions worrisome for all.
“Regardless of your party, regardless of who you voted for, what’s going on today, what’s happening today is abhorrent,” said Britt Castillo, who attended the rally in Charlotte, North Carolina. “It’s disgusting, and as broken as our current system might be, the way that the current administration is going about trying to fix things — it is not the way to do it. They’re not listening to the people.”
Although the “Hands Off” rallies went off without any arrests or noted violence, one community has notably taken a backseat from the civil disobedience. Many have also called out Black activists and organizing groups for not participating in the rallies.
However, some are taking heed the 92% promise sparked by the Black women who voted for Kamala Harris. They, alongside other members of the Black community, pledged that they would not come to the rescue during Trump’s reign.
Medium blogger and author, Toni Crowe, explained to the platform on why Black people, especially women, decided to sit this one out.
“We expected Trump’s Republican administration to behave precisely as it is behaving,” she wrote in a series of points. “We understand the Republican administration is constantly putting out racist rage bait to provoke us. DEI and Diversity initiatives were not working for Black people….White women and military veterans were the most affected. It was a shame they did not realize that, or maybe they would have voted differently, or maybe not.”
While the Black community is not directly protesting trump with the rest of the “Hands off” demonstrators, civil leaders have launched a seemingly successful boycott against companies that have anti-DEI stances.
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