The April 5 “Hands Off!” protests in Eugene and across the country reflect growing concerns over the current state of the government and how the Trump administration has changed the political climate of the country as a whole.
Thousands of protesters gathered outside of Eugene City Hall Saturday to protest the Trump administration and its practices. The “Hands off!” demonstrations took place nationwide and were organized by activist groups such as 50501, Indivisible, MoveOn, the Women’s March and locally by ACES — Activist Coalition of Eugene Springfield.
On its website, Hands Off! says, “this is a nationwide mobilization to stop the most brazen power grab in modern history.” Protesters gathered at City Hall and remained there till sunset, holding signs, chanting and giving speeches.
They carried signs with slogans such as, “Felon in the House,” “Hands Off Our Healthcare,” “Boot the Bozo,” “Trump = Domestic Terrorist,” and “Free America.”.
Lin Hamlin, a resident of Dexter says she showed up to fight against the threat of a fascist takeover of the government. “An authoritarian government scares the crap out of me and I feel like it’s our duty to speak up and do something to stop it,” Hamlin says. The Trump administration has been criticized by many for its involvement with Elon Musk, tech entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla, an electric vehicle company.
Musk is the head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency. Serious concerns have been raised over Musk’s DOGE and how it plans to diminish the federal workforce. Several protesters voiced their opinions over DOGE’s planned changes to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Vietnam veteran David Anderson said at the rally that he’s already experienced trouble with getting medical care from the VA and fears the Trump administration is going to make things significantly worse for him and his fellow veterans. “It takes months now to get an appointment to see a doctor,” Anderson said. Internal memos from the Trump administration and DOGE indicate plans to reduce the VA workforce by upwards of 70,000 employees. Trump “is tearing this country apart, and it just breaks my heart,” Anderson said.
Counterprotester Bill Hooper, was seen walking up and down the street, holding a “Make America Great Again” hat. Hooper was met with many disapproving looks and the occasional yelling from protesters telling him to, “get out.” Hooper was accompanied by two people in high-visibility jackets who said they were by his side to protect him from attack. None took place and the protest was overwhelmingly peaceful. “I’m here to counter the lies that are being told by the liberals here,” Hooper said.
Trump has made several comments about the possibility of running for a third term, a highly controversial move to stay in power. During an interview with NBC news, Trump said, “There are methods by which you could do it,” referring to a third term. Protesters at City Hall were highly opposed to this idea, with Anderson saying, “over my dead body.” Another protester, Josh Bloom said, “I think he’s just trying to avoid going to jail and I think he’s a horrible person.”
Protesters say they are hopeful for a better future. “This was not supposed to be a work yourself to death world, it was supposed to be a post-scarcity world,” protester Jerrid Wolflick said.
