Syracuse joins national ‘Hands Off!’ protests against Trump administration
Syracuse joins national ‘Hands Off!’ protests against Trump administration
Thousands of protestors gathered in Forman Park alongside millions nationwide to oppose recent federal policy shifts.
Thousands gathered at Forman Park alongside millions around the country on Saturday for the Hands Off! National Day of Action in protest of policy changes under President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
Despite the early morning rain and gray skies, hundreds arrived hours ahead of the rally, and by the event’s start, the crowd had grown to more than 4,000.
Various speakers led the charge at Saturday’s event with chants of “Hands off! Hands off!” and “This is what democracy looks like!” ringing throughout the streets of downtown Syracuse.
Dana Balter, a mental health advocate and former Democratic nominee for Congress, led some of those chants and referenced the turnout for the rally.
“Today was amazing. We’re here at Forman Park with about 4,000 fellow Central New Yorkers who showed up to tell Donald Trump and Elon Musk, ‘Hands off. Hands off our government. Hands off our bodies. Hands off our Social Security. Hands off our public schools,’ you name it. This was about standing up for government of, by, and for the people,” Balter said.
There was a long list of reasons as to why people were there, so many that it brought new issues to light that some event-goers weren’t aware of.
This was the case for Tavia Gilbert, a Syracuse resident who works for the Onondaga County Water Authority, who originally came to stand up for free speech.
“You can see the diversity of people here, the diversity of thoughts on their signs. There are so many issues, and it’s actually brought up some things for me that I wasn’t thinking about,” Gilbert said.
Others in attendance also spoke out about various issues affecting their communities, including workers’ rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and social justice concerns.
Kyle Groshans attended the rally to protest the recent job cuts to the Veterans Administration.
“I came just to tell the administration hands off everything, hands off our rights, hands off the VA, hands off our democracy,” Groshans said.
Leaders of the event emphasized the importance of amplifying the voices of the people, as no politicians spoke to the crowd.
United States Congressional Representative John Mannion was among the members in the crowd and spoke to the energy and purpose of those in attendance.
“There are thousands of people here today and millions of people across this country. These are the patriots. They love their country, and they understand the moment that we’re in. This is a moment of morality, and the people are here,” Mannion said.
He also mentioned that congressional leadership needed to be held accountable, not just the Trump administration.
“The actions that are happening right now are against the will of the people, and they can be stopped by leadership in both the House and the Senate. All they have to do is do their job and uphold the oath that they took to the Constitution. That’s all that they have to do, and that’s what the people are demanding of them,” Mannion said.
Event leaders stressed the importance of event-goers telling people in their networks that their rights are at risk. They also recommended reaching out to figures of authority, such as their elected federal officials and their state representatives.
The rally reflected the impact of collective action, with people from various backgrounds gathering to voice their concerns and oppose policies they viewed as threatening to democratic values.
Some attendees expressed a commitment to continued activism, stressing the importance of maintaining engagement and holding leaders accountable well beyond the event itself.
“We need everybody to speak up and speak out; the only way that we successfully fight this kind of illegal power grab is as a united front,” Balter said. “That’s why it matters that 4,000 people showed up here today. The power of the people is what gets it done.”