PHOTO BY CHUCK HOVEN

Saturday, April 5, 2025; “Hands Off” Protest against Trump and Musk, W. 25^th and Lorain Avenue: Protesters show their concern for the future of Social Security.

PHOTO BY CHUCK HOVEN

Saturday, April 5, 2025; “Hands Off” Protest against Trump and Musk, W. 25^th and Lorain Avenue: Residents rally against the Trump Regime. Two thousand protesters filled Market Square Park and the surrounding sidewalks on Lorain and W. 25^th Street to protest the policies of President Donald Trump, and federal budget and staffing cuts initiated by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

PHOTO BY CHUCK HOVEN

Saturday, April 5, 2025; “Hands Off” Protest against Trump and Musk, W. 25^th and Lorain Avenue: Protester’s sign lists a variety of concerns.

by Chuck Hoven

     Two thousand protesters from throughout Greater Cleveland came to W. 25^th and Lorain on April 5^th to join in a national “Hands Off” protest, objecting to President Donald Trump’s administration’s policies and the Federal budget cuts enacted by Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by billionaire Elon Musk.

     The Greater Cleveland protesters filled Market Square Park and the sidewalks on both sides of Lorain and W. 25^th Street in the surrounding blocks. Many who came to the neighborhood had difficulty finding a parking spot nearby and were seen walking for blocks carrying their signs on their way to the protest.

     The protests that took place throughout the nation on April 5^th were largely organized online by the Indivisible Project which teamed up with other progressive organizations to rally people throughout the country to participate in the protest. The Indivisible Project says it is “is a locally led, people-powered movement of thousands of local groups in red, blue, and purple states, and in urban, suburban, and rural areas.”

     The Indivisible Project says its mission is “to power and lift up a grassroots movement of local groups to defeat the Trump agenda, elect progressive leaders, and realize bold progressive policies.” The group says its largest source of funding is through grassroots donations.

     The online message sent out said the group is committed to non-violence and urged protesters to be peaceful. A statement by the organizers said: “Americans are fed up with the Musk-Trump power grab and want an end to the lawless raiding of our government. ‘Hands off!’ is a simple rallying cry against an administration that’s dangerously overreaching and throwing our democracy, our economy, and for many — our private lives — into chaos.”

     The group offered items for supporters to say “hands off” to and urged protesters to bring additional concerns to the rallies as well. Here are some of the concerns the Indivisible Team expressed in their email sent to supporters: “Hands off our Medicaid. Hands off our Social Security. Hands off our public lands. Hands off our jobs. Hands off public education. Hands off veterans’ benefits. Hands off our undocumented neighbors. Hands off our trans siblings. Hands of Ukraine aid. Hands off our diversity programs. Hands off Canada, Hands off our reproductive rights. Hands off our democracy.”

     The “Hands Off” protesters at W. 25^th an Lorain Avenue held signs that listed many of their concerns. The wide variety of mostly homemade signs contained messages such as: ”Hands off Social Security”; “Dump DOGE, Resist Oligarchy, Save America”; “A Women’s Place Is In the Revolution”; “Hands Off Our Democracy”; “Hands Off Our Constitution”; ‘No Kings”; “We Are a Country, Not Your Corporation”; and “Wanting a Child Born is Pro-Birth, Wanting a Child Fed, Housed and Educated to Parents who make a Living Wage is Pro Life.”

     Some of the signs included graphics. One protester had a graphic of a “baby Trump” in a diaper on a sign saying, “Not voting is the #1 cause of unwanted presidencies.” Another sign was filled with handprints with a large OFF in red letters in the middle of the sign. A sign featured orange hair on top with “He doesn’t care about you” underneath. The founding fathers of the United States of America were on a sign with the message “They warned us about him!” Another message on a sign featuring a picture of Trump said, “This Boy Ain’t Right”. A sign with the message “Keep pressure on the Oppressor” featured a boot pressing down on the word “oppressor”.

     Protesters raising concerns about specific programs that they want to protect from funding cuts had signs such as: “Hands off Social Security, Medicaid, FDA, CDC, NIH – Science Matters!”; “Fund Schools, Not Billionaires”; “Hands off the VA”; “Hands off National Parks & Women’s Rights”; “Hands Off My Social Security”; “Hands Off LGBTQ Rights, my marriage, Veteran Rights & human rights”; “Entitled to what I paid for, Medicare, Social Security & Medicaid”; “Education is the Real National Emergency”; “Defund Billionaires, Not Schools”: and “Being Against Genocide is a Jewish Value, Free Palestine”.

     Some protesters sent the message that there were so many areas of concern that they couldn’t fit them all on a sign. Examples of this include: “So much Wrong, Not Enough Cardboard”; “So Many Issues, So Little Poster Board”; “Hands Off! Douch Bag Oligarchs Gutting Everything”; “UGH – Where do I Even Start?” and “Hands off everything- Climate, Books, Science”.

     Messages directly aimed at those wielding power included: “Where Law Ends, Tyranny Begins”; “Now You’ve Gone and Pissed Off Grand Ma!”; “I’m a Vet, I’m Pissed”; “We the People Are Pissed!!”;“Stop Trump”; “Overthrow the Oligarchs”; “Trump Regime Must Go”; “Tax Elon, Impeach Trump, Lock Him Up”; “Putin Owns Donny”; ‘Hands Off Musk Rats”; “Hands Off Our Democracy”; “Hey, No, No, Trump and Musk have to go”; “Trump Musk Machine Kills Democracy”; “Get your tiny hands off the Bill of Rights”; ‘Can’t Comb Over Lies”; ”Government for the People, Not Billionaires”; “Stop Felon Elon” and “They’re Eating the Checks, They’re Eating the Balances”.

     Several signs included the number “8647” which means get rid of the 47^th President – Donald Trump.

     Signs aiming to send a message to fellow Americans included: “Make America Think Again”; “Rage Against the Machine”; “Tariffs are taxes on us”; “Never Give Up, Never Surrender”; “Real Americans Fight Fascism”; “Only You Can Prevent Fascism”; “Defend Democracy”; “We the People, Say No”; “Democracy Dies in Silence”; “It is Not Left vs. Right, It is Right vs. Wrong”; “Wake Up and Smell the Fascism”; “Honk If You Love Democracy”; “Stand up for Honesty, Integrity…”; “Resist Broliarchy”; “Save Democracy”; “We are the Final Check and Balance”; “Jesus had two dads, and they loved everyone equally”; “We the People, VETO Project 2025”; and “The Secret of Joy is Resistance.”

     One sign included a quote from Senator Cory Booker that said, “The Power of the People Is Greater Than the People in Power.”