Progressive groups are holding “Hands Off” rallies across the United States on Saturday to protest President Trump’s agenda.
Former state legislator, attorney, and activist Sherwood Guernsey of Berkshire Democratic Brigades and the Williamstown Democratic Committee says the day is about a presenting a clear alternative to Republican efforts to slash government spending, scapegoat minority groups, and cater to the wealthiest.
“We want a country where we do have a strong democracy, we want a country where we have all the middle class, the working men and women of this country, having a good, fair deal," he told WAMC. "And we want our rights protected. We want immigrants to have rights. We want all the kinds of things that we have had, only better. And I think one of the things, by the way, is the importance of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid- This administration is taking away those kinds of healthcare protections and work protections and protections for the elderly that we have had in place for decades. It's time to stop it.”
Williamstown’s demonstration will take place in front of the First Congregational Church.
“John Barrett, our state representative, is going to come to speak," Guernsey continued. "The rally will start at around noon time, and we'll go till 1, 1:30, however long people really want it to go. And we will have the option to get out of the rain, we hope, although we want this to have some visibility effect, so, I think that it's important that we be outside as much as possible. People should dress for the weather- That's true of whether you're coming to Central County or South County or North County. It's going to be rainy, and we just need people to be prepared for that. But we're going to have this rain or shine. It's important enough to do that.”
A contingent of Berkshire activists will be taking a sold-out bus to Boston to represent the commonwealth’s westernmost region in the capital.
“We're super psyched because we just found out the Dropkick Murphys are going to be doing a small set in Boston," said Wendy Penner of Williamstown, a member of Greylock Together, a local chapter of the nationwide Indivisible group behind the “Hands Off” effort. “I think it's wanting to have the highest visibility and the biggest opportunity to send a message that we, the people of Massachusetts want to stand together to march in support of all of our cities and communities, sanctuaries against tyranny, and to send a message to the tyrants in DC, loud and clear: Hands off our neighbors, hands off our institutions, hands off our democracy.”
To the north in Bennington, Vermont, activists will stand out at the downtown hub known locally as Four Corners.
“My sincere belief is that the stakes are astronomically high. This is not government as usual, this is not just people disagreeing a little bit about what is happening. This is a full-on takeover of our government in a fascist manner, where our basic constitution is being violated, and that's what I really hope people will wake up and understand, that Trump and Musk and every Republican who is going along with them are violating the basic Constitution of the United States of America and doing things that are blatantly illegal," said organizer Lisa Pezzulich. “And that should strike fear into everybody, because there's no rules anymore. They're just taking over and gutting our government, they're slashing all of these programs that keep all of us safe, and it's terrifying to me.”
Albany is also taking part in the day.
“I've been involved in organizing demonstrations and rallies for decades, and this appears to be one of the largest days of pro-democracy rallies in modern American history. There are over 1,200 rallies all over the country. In downtown Albany, outside the state capital starting at 11am Saturday, we are expecting thousands," said Indivisible ADK/Saratoga steering committee member Joe Seeman. “We'll have Lieutenant Governor Delgado speaking, Mayor Sheehan speaking, Representative Tonko speaking, numerous speakers from community groups- people from senior groups, youth groups, people speaking about their perspective on this vicious assault on the republic.”
In Troy, a standout is set for 9:30 outside of the Troy Atrium to coincide with the city’s weekly farmers market.
Back in the Berkshires, Pittsfield’s demonstrators will gather in Park Square in the heart of the city starting at 1.
“So, at this rally we're going to have chants, we're going to have songs, we have Hoping Machine coming from the Guthrie Center. I have four speakers, and the last one is John Bonifaz, and he is a constitutional lawyer that has done amazing work for free speech and voters rights," event organizer and musician Robin O'Herin told WAMC. “They're tearing our democracy down, they're tearing our government down, they're tearing all the things in place- I mean, they're taking away Social Security, they're taking away healthcare, they're taking away education. They're tearing everything down. The playbook they're following, that 2025 thing, it's based on Hitler's playbook. It's based on every authoritarian that took over a country, and that's their ultimate thing. I mean, they're going to just bleed us dry. The rich want to get richer, they want to rule the world, and I want to stop them. But you know, the more of us there are, the more chances we will stop them.”
Other Berkshire “Hands Off” rallies will take place in Adams, Great Barrington, and Stockbridge.
