Hands Off!: Community protests Trump, federal funding cuts, deportations

On Saturday, more than 700 people gathered outside the Peace and Justice Plaza in Chapel Hill to protest the Trump administration’s policies on healthcare, social security, civil rights, education and democracy, all while chanting one message – ”Hands Off!”

The protest was one of the more than 1,200 Hands Off! demonstrations in all 50 states protesting President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s “illegal takeover”on Saturday. 

The Chapel Hill chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) organized the Chapel Hill Hands Off! protest. 

Geraldine Richards, the president of the Chapel Hill chapter of NOW, created a sign-up for the rally on Mobilize.us and she said after connecting with the Hands Off! nationally, she quickly noticed the large amount of RSVPs — something that she said surprised her. 

The event lasted two hours and featured speakers and musical performances. Protestors in front of the courthouse and across the street held signs, and guitarists led sing-alongs to songs including John Lennon’s “Imagine,” Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land” and Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth.”

Richards said that in addition to fighting for democracy, another goal of the event was to foster community. In her opening speech, she reiterated what she wrote about this goal in an email sent to those registered: “people will cheer, chant, hear music, feel validated and make a friend.” 

“I want to be good on the first promise that I made and that promise was that you were going to meet a friend here today,” Richards said.

Rev. Thom Belote, minister of The Community Church of Chapel Hill Unitarian Universalist, said hearing the concerns of people in his community is one of the main reasons he came.

“People in my community have had their jobs stolen from them,” Belote said. “People in my community have had their grandparents picked up by immigration and deported. We should not be afraid of our government. We should not be afraid of billionaires. They should be afraid of us.” 

Community member Teressa Jimenez said she attended the rally because she was concerned about the future of democracy, healthcare and social security, as well as how the Trump administration’s policies have and will continue to impact her and her family. 

Jimenez said people close to her are not citizens, and regardless of the fact that they are in the country legally and have permanent residency, she said they still are fearful of Trump’s large waves of deportations. 

“Personally, I just retired, and I am worried about social security,” Jimenez said. “My daughter will not come back to this country because of the state of it and how women are treated, and my son is a small business owner, and he's worried about his business vitality,” 

Chapel Hill Town Council members Karen Stegman and Camille Berry both attended the protest. 

Stegman said in the 75 days since Trump has taken office, his administration has implemented federal funding cuts, which she said are not just budget decisions, but also value statements that disregard people in communities like Chapel Hill.

“A government's greatness, whether it's local, state or federal, is not measured by the size of its corporate tax rates, but by how it treats its people, especially the most vulnerable,” Stegman said. “This administration can cut our funds, but they cannot control our values.” 

Berry said she attended the rally not because she feels depressed, but because she is angry. She said now, more than ever, it is imperative people continue to find happiness, because that is how they will continue to come together and fight. 

“I am determined, like many of my ancestors, to find my joy, to sing my song – maybe not out loud – but to find it every day,” Berry said. 

@sarahhclements

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