Updated as of 6:50 p.m. with more photos from protest.
RALEIGH - Protesters gathered between North Carolina’s State Legislature and State Capitol Building on April 5 to protest President Donald Trump and head of the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk.
Speakers took to a stage in Bicentennial Plaza just after 11a.m., with Iron Front North Carolina founder John Freeman announcing safety measures, bathroom locations and water availability. The stage was paid for by the Poor People’s Campaign, one of several North Carolina partners for the event with common missions. Freeman introduced the Raging Grannies to the stage first, a protest group that writes lyrics about modern issues set to classic tunes.
This protest and hundreds of others across the country were part of a nationwide series of protests known as Hands Off. There were over 30 Hands Off protests scheduled for April 5 in North Carolina alone, with the three largest in the state expected to be in Charlotte, Asheville and Raleigh, according to 50501 North Carolina press representative Cole Dragotta. The organization 50501, which stands for 50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement, is a decentralized movement with chapters in each state to better confront local issues.
The Hands Off movement has partnered with almost 200 organizations across the country, including 50501 and the Women’s March. According to Dragotta, Hands Off called for April 5 to be a day of action and asked 50501 to assist in raising awareness about events in every state.
Dragotta said they were expecting at least 6,000 attendees in Raleigh based on online sign ups, but told Elon News Network that the total was over 10,000, with protesters filling the plaza and surrounding green areas in front of the State Legislature and State Capitol Building.
Protest attendees Anita and James Hollister came out specifically to oppose book bans at their grandchildren’s schools and Trump’s reorganization of the federal government.
“Their reading is being threatened and what they’re learning is being threatened,” Anita said. “Things are being taken out of schools – out of all history – they’re being blocked out. And we need to keep even the bad things that we did in history.”
For James, he is concerned about the guardrails of democracy, such as judges being removed.
“I’ve always been proud to be an American but it’s really hard right now,” James said. “It helps to see all these people, but somehow we’ve got to get our country back.”
He emphasized the importance of communication and making your message heard.
“I go back to the time of Martin Luther King,” James said, getting emotional. “The marches helped then and I hope they help now.”
Anita and James are among a large group of older adults who were in attendance. Naoma Lane was another, and she also spoke about preserving democracy.
“It’s all ages out here, but there really are a lot of senior citizens,” Lane said. “Because not only do we not want to lose our social security, but we’ve been around and know what’s up.”
Tristan, who only shared his first name due to concerns of losing his job, was wielding a large umbrella with cut outs of hands and the word “off,” representing the movement’s slogan.
“We’re saying hands off our autonomy, hands off our community,” Tristan said. “This is the first time in the entire history of the United States where we have the entire world not looking at a country — they’re looking at one guy, who’s in the White House, and saying, ‘This is not right.’”
Kelly Somers and Tracy Chellis are federal employees and expressed their discontent with the government on a federal and local level.
“If we are active locally, then we hold our leaders accountable for what we’re sending them to Congress to do,” Chellis said. “I think sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of that with so much national coverage, it’s easy to get distracted, but really at home, where we care about our own communities, that’s what matters.”
They also noted they don’t take their privilege for granted.
“I’m not out here because I’m at risk of losing my job,” Somers said. “We matter for one another, our communities are important to all of us. We are so interdependent and we can’t lose sight of that.”
Behind Bicentennial Plaza, the crowd continued, starting their own chants as they were too far to hear speakers from the stage. Passing cars honked their horns in support.
Protester Evan Bryant stood with that crowd waving the resistance flag from Star Wars. Bryant works in the steel industry in Johnston County, about 45 minutes from Raleigh.
“I’ve seen a lot of competition there, from inside the nation,” Bryant said. “We’re required to buy American steel, and now that we have to compete, prices are getting crazy.”
He also spoke on the need for education in trade industries, saying that trade workers such as plumbers, electricians and welders are the people that build America.
As the protest wound down, Freeman announced on the main stage that Raleigh had raised around $4,000 and collected food donations. He also introduced the final performer, artist/activist Sarah Mosseller, who led the crowd in a modified version of “If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.”
The crowd clapped to the last verse at 1:35 p.m:
“If you’re tired of Donald Trump clap your hands,
if you’re tired of Donald Trump clap your hands,
America has no king, and the people kiss no ring,
if you’re tired of Donald Trump clap your hands.”
“I hope that Trump and his people notice that we are not going back and we are not staying silent,” Lane said.
A sign language interpreter was present on stage at all times, and attendees were invited to dial 720-820-1525 for Spanish translation. A section of chairs was set up in front of the stage for those who couldn’t stand for extended periods of time, and protests were livestreamed for anyone unable to attend in person. Police and fire marshals were nearby to ensure crowd safety and access to sidewalks and roads.
After the event concluded, a woman went on stage and announced a protest tomorrow at 2 p.m. in Chapel Hill for freedom of speech and the right to protest.