Over a thousand protesters filled the sidewalks of Davenport’s Brady Street on Saturday, April 5 as a part of a nationwide protest against the actions of President of the United States (POTUS) Donald Trump and Senior Advisor to the POTUS Elon Musk. The “Hands Off!” rally was sponsored by Indivisible, a grassroots organization created in response to Trump’s presidency.
The protest kicked off at 11 a.m. at the Friends of MLK Interpretive Center in Davenport and was scheduled to end at 1 p.m. On their website, “Hands Off!” lists almost 200 partners, including Care in Action, Center for Biological Diversity and Better Path Coalition.
The mass mobilization day spanned the country, with protesters taking to the streets to fight recent policy changes made by the Trump administration. According to AP News, the Quad Cities rally was one of 1,200 throughout the US.
According to “Hands Off!”, their website states the organization is committed to nonviolent action and asked all participants “to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values, and to act lawfully at these events.”
Protestors lined the street with flags, megaphones and posters, with some reading “Dictator or Democracy, that’s the choice!” and “Keep the immigrants, deport the racists!” As cars drove by, some honked their horns in solidarity.
Community members of all ages and backgrounds joined together to stand against the new administration. Moline resident Gabe Lareau said he participated for his siblings and grandparents, who are directly affected by recent changes.
“We’re here to say ‘Hands off our Medicare, Social Security Benefits, veterans benefits, our climate [and] our environment,’” Lareau said. “[Trump is] destroying institutions that have been around protecting and serving people only for his personal gain and for the gain of his friends, his rich friends.”
The event also featured keynote speakers, such as Augustana’s Visiting Instructor of Business Administration Angela Boelens. Boelens is also the founder of the Iowa Newcomer Integration Community and Exchange (IA Nice), a local nonprofit immigration organization.
Boelens was asked to speak about issues surrounding immigration at the protest. At first, Boelens said she was not interested in participating in efforts to maintain her non-partisan position, but later changed her mind due to the severity of issues at stake.
“This rally, as I understood it, was a really largely democratic group of individuals,” Boelens said. “And I made sure before agreeing to do this rally that the tone of the rally would not be necessarily attacking either party, but rather just saying, please, don’t make dramatic changes to these different programs that are important to us.”
Augustana’s Professor of Sociology Paul Croll also rallied for change to support fellow community allies. Croll said it’s important to maintain support for one another during these uncertain times.
“I am upset with the state of the world and the state of the country,” Croll said. “I think what the administration did was unconstitutional and not right, and most people are opposed to it. So, we have to show up and support each other.”
To further support the cause, the volunteer movement Food Not Bombs supplied protestors with hot rice, beans and water while also raising awareness on current issues. Luke and Katie Overstreet of Fulton, Illinois said they traveled an hour to Davenport to provide food to the protesters.
“From the beginning, Food Not Bombs has been a decentralized movement to protest the government’s spending on militarizing the world’s defense budget, on spending money on war and not on social programs,” Luke Overstreet said. “The idea behind it is to reclaim food that would otherwise go to waste and to serve healthy vegetarian meals. [Food Not Bombs aims] to raise awareness about military spending and to advocate that the government should spend more on social programs.”
“Hands Off!” lists ways for the public to get involved by sharing events happening nationwide on their website, where individuals can also sign up for a newsletter to receive updates. There are currently no upcoming events scheduled in the Quad Cities.
“If we don’t do anything now, it’s going to be too late. It’s vital for young people to get involved. Young people with their energy, their fire and their fight, that is really why we march,” Lareau said. “It’s important to participate in democracy while we still have it because right now, the trend line is not looking good.”