On April 5, tens of thousands filled Los Angeles streets, part of a nationwide wave of “Hands Off!” protests targeting President Trump’s latest moves. The demonstrations—1,200 strong across the U.S., with over 500,000 RSVPs—hit cities from New York to San Francisco, sparked by tariffs launched that day and deep federal cuts led by Elon Musk. In LA, the day unfolded with an afternoon start at Pershing Square, a march to City Hall, and a sunset rally spilling into Grand Park.
The mood was loud and vivid. Signs waved—“We the people are pissed,” “Canada not for sale”—as tambourines clanged and horns blared. Protesters aired a laundry list of grievances: Trump’s 10% import tariff, China’s 34% counterpunch on April 4, and slashes to libraries, health research, and immigrant rights. Sam Phillips, 38, pushed her 15-month-old in a stroller downtown. “Story time at the library helps him socialize,” she said, nodding to federal trims threatening such services. Jessica Depies, 29, added, “We’re losing cancer research, mental health—stuff we need. We’ve got to fight for it.”
Organizers like Hands Off!, Indivisible, and MoveOn framed it as a stand against “the destruction of our government and economy” for Trump’s allies. Dunbar Dicks, 47, of Studio City, rallied hundreds at Hollywood and Vermont through Indivisible Hollywood, a group reborn post-inauguration. Elsewhere, Sonoma County sang Woody Guthrie tunes, while Huntington Beach drowned out Trump backers with drums. Atlanta marched to its capitol; D.C.’s federal workers swarmed the Mall, chanting “Musk and Trump have got to go.”
The protests stayed orderly, deputies on hand but idle. Downtown LA brought flair—a Humpty Dumpty balloon with Trump’s hair floated above, a skeleton in a Trump-stamped dress roamed, and a faux “trillionaire” spoke. Alan Vargas, a California Young Democrats labor chair, railed against wealth gaps. “It’s the Gilded Age again,” he said. “The top hoard, we get scraps.”
Voices varied. Stuart Swezey, 63, a filmmaker, decried “authoritarianism” creeping in. Christina Fernandez, 59, a teacher, feared deportations catching innocents. Ronnie Lee Reece, 64, a musician, knocked Democrats for weak resistance. Roxanne Hoge, LA County Republican Party Chairman, shrugged it off. “Boring tantrums,” she called them, doubting any impact.
The backdrop: Trump’s tariffs tanked markets, stoking recession fears, while Musk’s cuts axed jobs and programs. Protesters like David Williams, 79, in Atlanta, fumed at retirement risks. In D.C., Terry Manzo, 86, handed out postcards blasting inaction. Back in LA, the crowd—possibly the biggest since Trump’s return—spelled defiance, raw and unscripted.
Petulant children throwing tantrums. Previously infectious disease experts and now self proclaimed economists.
Beautiful to see such masses coming out in opposition to the fascism of the ridiculous right wing, which has choked our nation (and economy). Yesterday too, the 36k crowd that came out to support the Fight Oligarchy protest led by Bernie Sanders and AOC. Good is finally growing and rising up to destroy evil.
Meanwhile, in the bubble of delusion known as West Hollywood, the “leaders” of the prom committee (formerly known as City Council) were busy prancing about the park installing the new pet mayor. Cute.
Those are the same people that demonstrated until AIDS was taken seriously, marched on Washington to force change and demanded access to treatment. Instead of belittling their efforts, maybe get off your ass and do something to assist in bringing change.
Boomer Democrats—all whiter than a mayonnaise convention in a snowstorm—clogging the streets with their protest signs and orthopedic shoes. These Bobs and Susans are clinging to their hatred for government efficiency like it’s the last shred of dignity they left back at Denny’s. These protests are like Boomer daycare for Left-wingers.
You would think that the fraud and extreme overspending that Musk has exposed would make him a hero of epic proportions. Many of the people who have lost their jobs are being placed in other agencies, but why would we want to continue to fund programs and agencies that are abusing the American taxpayer? This backlash against Elon, I’m convinced, is not grass-roots at all but is instead organized outrage by a select few who know there are plenty of uninformed sheep who have nothing better to do and will follow along just to be a part of something bigger… Read more »