A crowd of raised signs and chanting voices swarmed a sunny Saturday afternoon in the plaza, thousands of protesters packed the plaza, raising their homemade signs above the crowd reading “Hands Off Our Democracy,”, “Remove Musk,” beside his drawn portrait, and “Hey hey, ho ho, Elon Musk has got to go!” They shout, voices echoing against nearby office buildings, the energy is both festive and fiercely determined.
On Apr. 5, families with children and retirees in wheelchairs marched side by side through LA’s Pershing Square with college students and labor union members in the national “Hands Off!” protest against the Trump administration.
Los Angeles’ rally is just one of many in a coast-to-coast day of protest being labeled as the “Hands Off!” movement. Organizers say demonstrations are happening in hundreds of cities and towns – from big urban rallies in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and New York City to small gatherings in state capitals and rural counties. In total, about 1,200 synchronized protests were planned nationwide. The campaign’s unusual name, 50501, signals its mission: “50 protests, 50 states, one day”. By day’s end, it could potentially become the largest single-day anti-government protest since President Trump took office in January.
Many at the LA protest say they feel the Trump administration is dismantling vital institutions in a “rapid-fire effort to overhaul government and expand presidential authority” – changes they describe as nothing less than a hostile takeover of American democracy.
In California, there were “Hands Off!” events up and down the state. While Los Angeles protesters marched from Pershing Square to City Hall, other Californians gathered in San Diego, Sacramento, San Jose, and even smaller towns like Modesto. By noon on the West Coast, news of big turnouts back East had already filtered through social media. That national reach gave Los Angeles attendees a sense of unity beyond their own city.
The mood across the protests had been overwhelmingly peaceful and defiant. Officials in some states have acknowledged the mostly orderly conduct of the protests. By evening, no major incidents were reported in Los Angeles or most other cities, aside from a few minor scuffles or isolated arrests elsewhere. The general tone is one of celebration, solidarity, and firm resistance.
