Local ‘Hands Off!’ protest rallies against Trump, Musk policies

By Robert Tomlinson
News Director

THREE RIVERS — An estimated 175 people from the local area gathered at the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Main Street in Three Rivers to join a national protest movement this past Saturday.
The protest was part of the thousands of “Hands Off!” demonstrations that occurred around the United States and the world on April 5, one of the biggest nationwide showings of opposition against the policies of President Donald Trump and the influence of billionaire Elon Musk, one of Trump’s advisors who spearheaded the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), since the president took office in January. According to national organizers, there was an estimated 3 million participants in the protests nationwide.
The protest began with a gathering in the East Alley for a quick speech from the organizer of the event prior to making their way to the main four in the city. Protestors held signs throughout the hour-long demonstration reading, “Hands off the Constitution,” “Hands off Medicare,” “Hands off Medicaid,” “Hands off my Social Security,” “Don’t Tread on U.S.,” and “Stop the Coup,” among others. Protestors also chanted “Hands Off” at various points as well.
There were no reported incidents involving those who attended the protest, and only one counter-protestor was seen during the day. The protestors also received several honks of support from cars passing by.
“It’s a mass activation to bring awareness to our civil rights and critical services and our freedoms,” Ben Karle, who organized the Three Rivers protest, said. “We’re trying to get people inspired and to hopefully develop some sustainable systems for people to feel active in their communities.”
The nationwide protests came about amid a week of turbulent times for the United States economy, with Trump’s near-implementation of so-called “reciprocal” import tariffs on numerous foreign countries and territories earlier in the week, which were expected to raise prices on many things Americans buy. It caused the stock market to fall by more than 10 percent since then, with the three-day losses by the start of trading April 7 being one of the biggest since 1987’s “Black Monday” crash. Many of those tariffs, except new ones placed on China, were put on hold for 90 days Wednesday.
It also comes amid the layoffs of thousands of federal workers, including at agencies such as the Social Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service, the dismantlement of foreign aid programs, and many more instances of what national organizers have seen as administrative overreach and growing authoritarianism from both the Trump administration and DOGE, all in the first three months of Trump’s second and final term in office.
Karle stated the protest in Three Rivers was mainly about “the state of affairs in our nation,” and that they want people to know that they “have power in this current climate.”
“There’s a lot of concerns about our services that are being cut, jobs, our dollars,” Karle said. “It’s important to give people a voice, and there have been a lot of people that have reached out that have never been a part of any kind of political activism. This is an opportunity for people to come together and mobilize to support those that do not have a voice or are not feeling safe to come to an event such as this.”
Karle said there has been concerns locally because of some of the economic policies. He said local nonprofits have been concerned about the status of funding as well as concerns about jobs and , as well as concerns about the future of local education entities and “general concern about the future.”
He added that having a dialogue about what’s going on, particularly with people who may be on the opposite end of the political spectrum, is another important goal.
“Everyone’s got a seat at the table, and that’s one of the most important things, to be able to have some conversations with people who have different opinions,” Karle said. “I understand that there’s a lot of people who aren’t concerned right now, and that’s okay. We’re here to try to just band together and bring some inspiration and hope and use our voices, use our power.”
Overall, Karle said while Saturday’s protests were important, there was still plenty of organizing to do in terms of furthering the protest’s goals.
“A one-day event is important, but it’s not enough,” Karle said.
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@wilcoxnewspapers.com.