Jay Youngdahl – Gulfport, Florida

Numerous rallies took place in western Florida on April 5th.  The largest was in Tampa, but significant demonstrations occurred in the counties around Tampa, including in very conservative counties such as Pasco and Manatee.  Pinellas County alone had three rallies.

The first to kick off was in Gulfport, Florida.  Around 250 protesters, mainly retirees, stressed their concern about the loss of democracy and potential impending fascism. The most popular chant was “This is Democracy Looks Like.” Interestingly, issues of Gaza and trans rights, for example, were not seen in the protest signs.  Nor was support for sending more US citizen tax dollars to support the European military alliance, NATO, one of the specific demands of the national organizers.

Jon Melrod – Santa Rosa California

As we approached the freeway off ramp to Santa Rosa, a small California wine country city with a population of some 175,000 people, traffic engulfed us. “Could all these people possibly be heading to the demonstration”, a voice in the back seat questioned. As soon as we hit the city streets, the answer to the question was visible on sidewalks, in the town square and on the streets. Over 5000 people had responded to the call for Hands Off!

I was immediately struck by the contagious, upbeat mood of comradeship and community that pervaded the crowds. Yes, we were all seething with anger at what the Trump/Musk cabal has unleashed, but we took heart from the endless lines of rowdy protestors on every sidewalk and street corner in central downtown. 

One of the outstanding features of the protest was the creativity that folks put into their picket signs. While I have been to literally hundreds of demonstrations in my 60-year life as an activist, many were defined by the pre-printed signs handed out by various political groups. At the Hands Off!rallies, creativity abounds with pithy wording on homemade picket signs. “Porche = Fast, Ferrari = Faster, Tesla = Fascist”, “No One’s Illegal”, “Fight Truth Decay”, and luckily a few signs supporting the Palestinian cause “Hands Off Gaza and the West Bank!”.

Although there were only a smattering of signs calling out the genocide and destruction of Palestine, there were those who made the connection. If you were to ask me what criticism I had of the rally it would be the failure to link such issues as the cause of Palestinian liberation and the critical struggle to stand with, and defend, the immigrant community from the general crisis of imperialism that is perpetuating suffering on masses of people around the world. 

Lastly, we must look to reach out to other communities that were underrepresented. There is a large Latino population in Sonoma County, where Santa Rosa is located, yet as far as I know there was little or no outreach to link the issue of the Latino community with the Hands Off!movement. Similarly, young people were underrepresented. With a junior college and branch of the State college system locally, an effort should have been made to reach out to these constituencies.

Overall, the rally was a huge step forward. In the last week I have attended rallies to support Vets, picket lines of 500 in front of the Tesla dealership, and a large rally in support of postal workers. The commonality – 80% – 90% of those driving by honked car horns, raised clenched fists and “V” signs, and showed widespread support that needs to be tapped and activated as we go forward. 

Len Shindel – Garrett County, Western Maryland

Upwards of 74 percent of voters in Garrett County, Md.—three hours west of Baltimore, bordering West Virginia and Pennsylvania—voted for Donald Trump. No Democratic candidate for POTUS has ever garnered the majority vote here.

While the county was home to the Garrett County Roads Workers Strike of 1970, the longest public worker [AFSCME] strike in U.S. history, unions here are generally weak. Wages in the county are only a bit more than one-half of the state’s median. The Democratic Party in the county is overwhelmingly composed of aging transplants, many of whom own expensive homes around Deep Creek Lake, the state’s largest.

Against this backdrop, a high-ranking retired federal employee [U.S. Customs] proposed a sign-waving on a busy corner of the county on April 5. She suggested calling attention to attacks on democracy and the devastating effects of federal budget cuts in a county where 65 percent of revenues from hospitals, medical centers and nursing homes comes from Medicaid.

Between 110 and 130 county residents showed up with creative signs and strong spirit. The signs spotlighted cuts and democratic rights, staying in line with the organizers’ recommendation not to overly focus on Trump or Musk alone. Many folks driving by honked horns. Opposition was relatively subdued compared to similar activities in the past.

In a humorous finale, demonstrators parading in front of the courthouse and jail, most of us in our 60s and 70s, were joined by a young resident who was shirtless and barefoot. We might have awakened him. But he woke us up to the potential to involve more young residents in the fight. He said he was interested in the next meeting of Garrett Forward, a newly formed group, loosely affiliated with Indivisible.

Members of the group had previously published an ad in the local newspaper signed by “Concerned Retirees of Garrett County” outlining how local institutions and non-profits would be affected by cuts. The facts came from one-on-one discussions with leaders of those entities who were very willing to talk and welcomed support. Residents came to a board of commissioners meeting with the ad in hand to question our elected officials about how the county will help make up for lost funding. 

More ads and letters to the editor are planned from educators and military veterans. We see great opportunity in leveraging the credibility and authenticity of our occupations and service to the community to inform low-information residents and voters about current threats.

Garrett Forward members plan to move more of the energy from April 5 into the chambers of the county’s board of commissioners, demanding more transparency and encouraging public dialogue over how the county will deal with budgetary restraints. Before the current legislative session began, our Republican state legislators warned about the consequences of the administration’s sharp cuts in federal jobs and threats to move federal agencies out of the state.

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Tomorrow more from “Hands Off” demos in Los Angels; Fayetteville; and the North Bay (California)