Protesting Trump: scenes from Hands Off, April 2025

Yesterday my family joined the local Hands Off! protest in our Virginia town. Today I wanted to share my impressions along with some photos, continuing with my March protestblogging.

Under grey skies around 500 or more people lined a major street, starting from a Social Security building.  We walked along the street, impressed by the size of the demonstration, running block after block.  We could hear people shouting, calling out, chanting, and sometimes singing, even over the traffic.

Joining it we were immersed in a great range of people. There were retirees, little children, and everyone in between.  A rough balance of male and female, with some trans and nonbinary representation.  Mostly white, with a few black folks; very few Latinos.

There were some very energetic protesters:

Others were listening and watching, making their presence known.

According to a planning email the event didn’t get approval for speakers, so there wasn’t any program beyond standing and hollering.  Some folks came and went, while others stayed for the long haul.

I spoke to one of the organizers, based in a little blue tent between a sidewalk and the Social Security building. She said they made 250 signs the day before and gave them all away. She was keen on protesters’ safety, urging everyone to stay peaceful, to deescalate if any tensions rose.

I didn’t see any counterprotesters, although someone in one car driving by shouted something I couldn’t make out. There was a minimal, marginal police presence.

There were plenty of signs.  I am always interested in DIY signs as American protect folk art. I appreciate how they combine pithy communication with humor and outrage:

No one theme rose above the medley. Topics were familiar ones: defending Social Security, mourning the loss of federal jobs (many people here work for the government), wanting to protect vulnerable populations. There was a pro-democracy current and lots of Elon Musk hatred.

We left before the end because the heat and crowd took a toll.

Perhaps these protests will continue.  The organizer I spoke with thought it might.