Thousands of protesters gathered outside of the Virginia State Capitol building in Richmond, Va. on April 5 in protest of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk – voicing concerns about the state of democracy in the United States.
“Hands Off!” rally organizers declared April 5 a national day of action. Millions of protesters gathered in cities and state capitals across the United States. According to the event posting, the primary goal of the mass mobilization was to send a message that citizens are fed up with Trump dismantling the government and the economy.
“Donald Trump and Elon Musk think this country belongs to them… they're taking everything they can get their hands on—our health care, our data, our jobs, our services—and daring the world to stop them. This is a crisis, and the time to act is now,” the post for the event read.
The Richmond rally was co-hosted by social justice advocacy group 50501 Virginia. According to its website, the group gets its name from “50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement.” Their primary demands are for reversing the Citizens United supreme court ruling, thereby ending the ability of wealthy corporations to spend unlimited money on elections.
This comes days after Elon Musk’s controversial campaign contributions in the Wisconsin supreme court election. The Brennan Center for Justice estimates that Musk personally gave 3 million dollars and funded PACs that contributed an additional 19 million dollars to the conservative candidate Brad Schimel.
Several other groups helped organize the event, including the climate advocacy group Sunrise Movement, the feminist organization Women’s March, and RVA Indivisible, which seeks to establish grassroots resistance to the Trump administration.
“I’m here joining voices with other people who are not happy with the way things are going,” said Calhoun Hayes, a member of the Sunrise Movement. “I’m also here to help recruit people in fighting the climate crisis.”
According to the Sunrise Movement website, the environmental advocacy group lobbies state and national legislators and firmly opposes the Trump administration. The group claims victory for Biden’s establishment of the American Climate Corps and the clean energy components of the Inflation Reduction Act.
In an executive order titled “Unleashing American Energy,” the Trump administration promises to end clean energy initiatives and invest more in reliable energy such as fossil fuels.
“We are currently running a city-wide survey to find out what people’s priorities are,” Hayes said. The Sunrise Movement handed out several flyers with information on their public interest meeting and climate issues survey.
Protesters held signs telling Trump to get his "hands off" the democracy of the United States.
At 12:30 p.m., the rally began marching through the streets of downtown Richmond to Monroe Park. As the crowd went, some passersby honked horns in support. They chanted slogans such as “This is what democracy looks like,” “The whole world is watching,” “We’ve had enough,” and “Trump must go.”
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Rally attendees ranged from elderly war veterans to elementary schoolers. For many, this was not their first time protesting against the government.
“The Vietnam War was raging, and our brothers, friends and husbands were being drafted against their will,” rally attendee Beverly Barns said. “It was so obvious to everybody your age.”
“I feel better if I raise my voice and try to make a difference,” Barns said. “I love being around people of like mind.” She implored young people to organize and let their voices be heard.
One of the flyers passed around by the crowd included information on “things you can do to fight fascism.” This included volunteering, attending protests, and boycotting companies that support the Trump administration. The flyer also emphasized resisting through mundane actions.
Even this pooch was involved in the protest.
“Pay attention, read banned books, learn unwhitewashed history, talk to people, shop local, visit your local library, do not obey illegal or unconstitutional orders, do not quit, make them fire you, do not lay down, fight, do not betray your neighbors, your values, or your country, do not let them tell you what it means to be an American and be kind whenever possible,” the flyer read.
Contact city and state editor Maria Byrnes at maria.byrnes@richmond.edu
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