What 'Hands Off' Did Best: It Brought Us Together
This is how we show the world America really isn't into the Trump Regime. And never will be.
Saturday, April 5 was ‘Hands Off’ Day, and, as protests go, it was right up there as one of our finest. The reports of massive crowds—far exceeding expectations after so many disappointments—are coming in from all over the country. This is the news we wanted to hear. This is the outcome we wanted to see. This is the message we wanted to send.
The MAGA crowd and the Trump loyalists aren’t ready to admit we made an impact, but they heard us, they saw us, they got the message. And they’re hating it.
Good.
But this isn’t about them. It’s about US.
In my little town of Petoskey, Michigan, population under 6000, notoriously so red most local offices don’t even have Democratic candidates on the ballot, we turned out in numbers that flabbergasted us all. I’m estimating well over 300 of us showed up.
Were we angry? Damn right we were. We ARE. Our signs screamed anger. But here’s what happened. Here’s the miracle: Our coming together brought us JOY.
We smiled. we laughed, we sang, we chanted, we cheered when cars honked their support, and we talked as we marched and as we stood. We met our comrades. We found each other.
When people tell us marches and protests do no good—that they’re forgotten once they’re over—they don’t know what they’re missing. They’re missing the community. The friendship. The alliances. The commitment. The need to prove we’re in this together.
When we make the effort to protest, we’re signing on to the kind of shared experience that lasts a lifetime. We don’t forget these moments. They’re etched in place now. We know who our friends and allies are. We’ve stood beside them and we’ve shown our strength. It’s in us. It’s in our numbers.
We can’t go back. We won’t go back. We’re moving forward
Stay proud, America! We’ve got this!
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So true. Same here in Beaufort, SC. It was grand. Hundreds. 💙
Such a good point, Ramona! Here in Grand Rapids the camaraderie and the sense of solidarity and community was so real! If nothing ever comes from our protests politically, at least we will have created a life raft for ourselves consisting of each other.