Across the United States, thousands have taken up signs and marched arm-in-arm in a “Hands Off!” protest against the Donald Trump administration.
Protestors marched against Elon Musk and his DOGE team, who are responsible for cutting several essential government programs, and discussed getting rid of even more spending programs that benefit working-class Americans like Social Security.
Protestors also marched against the heinous treatment and violent deportations of migrants since President Trump took office in January. Deportations were a major focus of his election promises, and it is something he is focusing heavily on.
Others marched against announced tariffs and retaliatory tariffs Trump has imposed.
While protests are great for gaining traction and sympathy, they don’t have the power to make the fundamental change necessary to fix the underlying problem, which is the Trump administration and its wide overreach.
A good way to help make change is by organizing in your community, things like volunteer work or having an open dialogue with your neighbors and friends. Utah Tech University will be hosting an open dialogue about the recent student visa revocations and how we can help our international students April 16 at 3 p.m. in the Gardner Ballroom.
It’s really no wonder people are starting to protest, but what exactly is it that finally kicked everyone into motion?
As someone who criticizes both the Democratic Party for its interest in corporate donors over its constituents and the Republican Party for its desire to bring back traditional values that infringe upon the rights of Americans, I find that the answer starts around the election cycle last year.
Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, ended up losing the 2024 election to Trump. Analysts believe the reason Harris lost was because of a lack of voter turnout.
I believe the reason she lost was because of the Democratic Party’s overall total failure to be a party that speaks for the people. During the election cycle, Trump was great at speaking to his base and firing them up by speaking about polarizing issues important to right-wing supporters.
Instead of following this playbook, the Democratic Party decided to lean center-right in their campaign messaging, failing to connect to their voters on controversial topics like ceasefire deals and border policy. The center lean hoped to get Republicans, who were always going to vote for Trump, to vote blue instead.
This strategy didn’t work for them, their anti-trans and “finish the border wall” messaging wasn’t effective in motivating blue voters to show up for the election.
I find what is happening right now in our country, as it is rapidly approaching an Oligarchic state where a few billionaires can control the facets of government, to be utterly appalling.
It is disgusting what the Trump administration has done to the people of America, whether it be migrants, low-income families or everyone who isn’t a billionaire.
Protests can be effective in making messaging look more sympathetic and gaining supporters, but Trump is historically anti-protest, unless they are protesting in his favor, like the Jan. 6 protestors he pardoned. He’s even talked about making protest illegal in America, and in a way, he has already started to put this idea into motion.
Migrants who have participated in or been vocal about pro-Palestine protests have started to be taken into custody by Immigration Customs and Enforcement and threatened with deportation.
The idea that protesting could be outlawed is frightening, to say the least, and it should worry you. It is deplorable that our rights are being slowly stripped away each passing week under this administration.
We should be uniting and fighting against the dismantling of government agencies that benefit us and our migrant neighbors and friends who are being unfairly demonized by Trump.
The “Hands Off!” protests are noble at heart, but it’s going to take a lot more than marching with signs to stop this hellscape we’ve found ourselves stuck in.
If you are appalled by the direction our country is heading and are unhappy with how things are going, start by organizing in your community. Organizing can mean joining a union if your workforce has one, volunteering and donating to local food pantries, connecting with your neighbors so if things get hard you’ll have each other to rely on, or attending town halls and making your voice heard.
