Thousands of protesters in Tampa part of nationwide Hands Off rally

Marches and rallies spanning from coast to coast across the United States ignited last Saturday against President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and their policies that have led to the gutting of government, plummeting stock values, and continued support of Israel’s attacks on Gaza. In Tampa, Florida protests drew about 5,000 demonstrators in one of the largest protests seen in years.

“HANDS OFF,  FREE SPEECH! HANDS OFF, FREE SPEECH!”

The rally was organized by a group called a better world is possible, along with a vast coalition of organizations wearing a shirt for that group and a Palestinian flag like a cape, a man named Cam with the Democratic socialists of America led chants through the megaphone.

“Honestly, I just came today to try to help out any way I could. So I brought a megaphone, and I heard some other people chanting, so I started helping out, doing the callbacks. And hey, that’s what it takes, right? It takes a community. It takes the world.”

Cam said that protesting is only one aspect of the larger movement to resist Trump’s policies.

“Our protests, they can be strategical. They can give us energy. They can give us hope, but they give us hope to fight for tomorrow, right? They give us hope to organize. Right? It doesn’t end at this protest. We’re going to keep being out in the streets. We’re going to keep organizing, pushing our elected officials to actually stand up and do something to tell Congress to stop being cowards and actually stop Trump’s fascist agenda. It takes the movement, takes the people. So that’s what we’re out here doing.”

Mike Pryor was just walking down the street to catch a concert in the park, but he said he was happy to see people taking time to make their voices heard.

“I think it’s great, man, people turning out for what they believe in and what they really want to see change. And it’s just show that America is still American. We still can come together, no matter the race, color, gender, and just hey, hey, we have an issue. We have a problem, and we want to see it change. So all for it. Man, absolutely.”

And even with so many different issues brought up at the protest, Pryor said he liked that part of it.

“They’re talking about race and LBGTQ and and just all the things and deportation, which is completely wrong, but they’re tackling all of it, man, and it’s all wrong, so we need to change it all.”

Wearing a shirt that said Trump golfs While America burns, Gina Ellery is a local nurse, and said people are fed up with the actions of the Republican Party and the inaction of the Democratic Party.

“If you look at all these other democracies, they do have more than two parties, and then when one doesn’t get the majority, they have to work together, and they create a coalition. And right now, it’s very much black and white. You got to be on one side or the other. And the reason why Democrats’ approval rating is so low is because we need them to fight.”

One local organizer has been driving with university students to Tallahassee to lobby for greater environmental protections, especially in light of recent cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency and cuts by the Department of government efficiency impacting parks. Peyton Hoey is the digital communications associate manager with the CLEO Institute, and said many young organizers are getting their start at rallies like these.

“Today, I would like to see again, people taking action. I would like to see more people involved in the legislative process and ready to speak with their legislators to make those calls, to make those to fill up those petitions while we still have them, and really use your voice. This is the starting spot for a lot of people. I’ve talked to people today that have been participating in their first protest, and it’s a beautiful thing to see that despite the attacks, this is an opportunity for people to mobilize.”

Callie James is 19 years old, but started protesting for black lives matter when she was 16. She came out to stand with the people of Palestine, as Israel’s air strikes continue to kill dozens of women, children and civilians in Gaza.

“So it’s so important because these people are being massacred. They’re innocent civilians, you know, they’re not targeting any sort of terrorist group. They’re targeting civilians. It’s a full on genocide. So that’s why it’s so important to me to be out here to raise awareness for that, and for these innocent people who don’t have any food, don’t have any water, don’t have any shelter, you know, and they’re traveling from place to place, not knowing when their next meal is going to be, not knowing if their children are going to be safe. So that’s why it’s so important to me to bring like awareness to this issue.”

Students for a Democratic Society has been organizing to get the University of South Florida to divest from companies in their investment portfolio that support Israel.  Joseph Charry is with SDS, and said Trump’s crackdowns on protests is a sign of fear from both University and federal administrations.

“They’re afraid of students like me, students like SDS, students like SJP chapters, students in general, fighting back and actually demanding democracy come to universities in the matter of, you know, students actually having demands met. So they’re afraid of students actually making direct action in their universities. They’re afraid of cutting down their ties, whether it be to Israel, whether it be to the military, whether it be to all these profitable companies. They’re afraid of students actually making worthwhile change in the university, in the name of diversity, in the name of actual higher learning and the actual quest for education. And so they’re afraid of students, but because they’re afraid they’re going to lose. We’re not afraid.”

Eric Rhoads served in the Marines during the Gulf War and said Trump’s cuts to the VA and Social Security benefits are hurting those who put their health on the line after they served in the line of duty.

“They don’t care if you, like me, broke my back in jump school in two places, and now I have arthritis all the way through my back. They don’t care that my lungs got messed up breathing the oil well fires in the Gulf War for seven months and the burn pits, they don’t care.”

Rhodes says even mental health support for veterans is on the chopping block.”

And I fought for this country under the promise that they would take care of me if I got messed up. Some of us didn’t, but a lot of us did, and they’re trying to take that then go into the VA health care, firing people that are taking care of us, shutting down the suicide hotline, firing people that were answering the phones, when that says, I’m having a really hard time. Do you know right now, I’m having a really hard time, and I’m not okay. But what am I going to do if they take that away? If they take my ability away to call in and say, hey, look, I need help. I’m not okay, and I can’t abandon these people. Their rights are getting taken too their freedoms are getting taken. Read project 2025 don’t go to a news source. Go to the actual Heritage Foundation. Read what Project 2025 is doing. They’re going to dismantle the government and divide it up between the billionaires. It’s not a conspiracy theory. They’re working it.”

Rudy West was drafted into the Air Force in 1963 and said he was shocked at the lack of care about veterans that Trump has shown.

“I think we deserve a better government, a better country, and that veterans should be respected. He just flew to what was it to his golf course, right to get paid, and he refused to honor four veterans that died in Lithuania.”

Trump instead attended a golf tournament dinner in Florida at the time of the dignified transfer of bodies. 23 year old Nicole Morgan helped start a new organization, Tampa activists united, which started protesting around Tampa shortly after Trump took office.

“I had my first protest. It was literally just me and another girl. We put out a flyer. We didn’t have any organizations behind us. We had maybe a couple 100 people, and I thought that was amazing. And then, like two months later, we partnered with it 5051, Hands Off, and all these local organizations. And at our peak, we had like, 10 times more people than we’ve had in the past. We were covering from Tampa street all the way down three blocks. And honestly, it just feels really amazing see how many more and more people are like following the movement and getting involved. And makes me excited for the next one too.”

In coalition with Indivisible Pro Choice Pinellas, Indivisible Action Tampa Bay, and Occupy Florida. The protest in front of Tampa City Hall was part of the 5051, national movement and Hands Off to denounce Trump’s actions and government corruption. Tampa’s rally was one of 1,400 across the country on Saturday, with other actions nearby in St Petersburg, Sarasota and Wesley Chapel.