This morning, Erik and I headed out to join the Hands Off protest happening at the Minnesota State Capitol. With Donald Trump, Elon Musk, their sycophantic cabinet members, and Republican enablers in Congress and on the Supreme Court rapidly dismantling the U.S. Constitution and democracy, we wanted to push back and peacefully show how opposed we are to their destructive actions.
The Hands Off protest has been weeks in the making, following many smaller protests since Trump was inaugurated. (A hat tip to the organizers: Indivisible, the Women’s March, and 50501!) I had never been to a protest before, so didn’t know what to expect.
We made our signs this morning, with Eldest Son’s partner illustrating Erik’s sign, then we bundled up and took off.
We had a place to park near the light rail line in St. Paul and went to a station. The protest was due to start at noon, and we arrived at the station at 11 a.m.
Others were waiting at the station, trying to figure out how to pay the fare. As we waited for the first train, more and more people arrived. When the first train came through, it was packed, with the people inside squished like sardines in a can. There was no room for anyone else.
The same happened with the second train.
And the third.
And the fourth.
And the fifth.
And the sixth.
As we were waiting through train after train on the cold, windy platform, we decided to protest where we were and held our signs out for the traffic passing by on University Avenue.
Most of the people driving by honked or waved or gave a thumb’s up in solidarity. There was also solidarity among those of us waiting on the platform, looking at each other’s signs and engaging in small talk.
I took it as a good sign that the trains were packed. It meant there were lots of people at the Capitol to protest. I also overheard someone say that the trains were filling up in Minneapolis, well before they reached our St. Paul station.
Erik and I waited an hour-and-a-half at the station, holding up our signs to the traffic (even a bus driver honked!), then the cold got to us and we left. As we moved through the crowd to head back to our car, we heard that others left due to the full trains, as well.
We drove down University Avenue, past the station, and saw protesters on the sidewalk, including a small group of “grannies” holding signs while sitting on their sit-down walkers outside their senior living home. They, too, protested where they were.
This evening, we are checking out reports of the crowd sizes on social media and in news sources. There were rallies planned for approximately 1,200 places around the country. By all measures, it looks like attendance rates were well past what organizers planned.
Minnesota Public Radio reported that the State Capitol had around 25,000 protesters. As is obvious by the full trains and the rather frazzled announcements by train conductors at our stop, Metro Transit certainly didn’t expect this turnout.
The Alt National Park Service estimates that over 5 million people joined protests across the country, though this is surely an undercount because there were those of us who couldn’t get to the protest locations, but we were out in the streets anyway (including those grannies!).
The BBC also reported that there were protests in London, Paris, and Berlin. More people protesting where they are to let the Trump regime know how pissed off everyone is at their destructive rampage, which affects not just Americans but people around the world.
While it was a little disappointing that we didn’t make it to the State Capitol, we were heartened to see how many people showed up to defend democracy. We also realized how important it is to go with the flow and protest where you are.
Did you go (or attempt to go) to a Hands Off protest? If so, feel free to share your experience in the comments. Let’s keep the momentum going!
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I’m so proud of you both for getting out there to protest. I am physically unable to do it myself. But fully support the efforts.
Thanks, Joan! As we were getting ready for the protest, I realized that it takes some thinking and organizing in order to make sure you have everything you need (proper attire, water, snacks, signs) and you know your rights during protests. Whenever you’re entering a situation with thousands of people, there’s bound to be some chaos you can’t really plan for. Who knew the trains would be so full? There are many people who can’t physically attend protests, and that’s okay. There are lots of ways to speak up, and you’ve been doing so with your representatives, which is every bit as important. Without all the contacts with our reps, they may not have understood the importance of appearing at these protests, and I know the Dems showed up for Hands Off. Just keep doing what you can do. 🙂
Yes! I was there, along with some members of my family, most of my two book clubs and many other friends! It was amazing and invigorating. I managed to get on the light rail at the U of M but just barely! I could not even turn my head it was so crowded. But a buoyancy and excitement was in the air. There were so many clever signs! Along with Corey Booker’s recent action in Congress, it was a much-needed energy boost to keep going, keep making good trouble!! Protests matter.
I’m so glad you made it, Nancy! Yes, we could feel that same buoyancy at the light rail station. It was wonderful! And Corey Booker is just amazing. We really did need these things to boost our spirits. We still have a heckuva fight ahead of us to reclaim our democracy, the Constitution, and rule of law, but we’ll get there if we keep at it. Did you hear the Democrats have created a People’s Cabinet? This is like the UK’s shadow cabinet, which provides messaging from the opposition, particularly when the majority party is behaving in ways that don’t serve the people. All of the calls and emails and protests are having an effect. Woot! 🙂