Burlingtonians rallied against recent federal action at the “Hands Off!” protest outside City Hall on Saturday, April 5.
The protest was one of 1,400 happening simultaneously across the United States as part of a broad movement to express discontent with the Trump administration’s attacks on immigration, education and barrage of federal layoffs and more.
Marc Wennberg, a resident of Burlington and the event’s leading organizer, said in his opening speech to the crowd that the Burlington protest was indicative of the widespread frustration across the country.
“[The protest] speaks to what’s happening in Washington, and it speaks to what is happening here,” he said.
In an interview with the Cynic, Wennberg said he was uplifted by the attendance levels.
“It just made me feel so good, just knowing that we’re not alone in this,” he said.
The event was facilitated by an organization called Indivisible, a group that organizes protests against the current presidency. The 50501 Movement, which aims to coordinate 50 protests in 50 states on one day, also helped to organize the event.
“All we did for our group itself was posting on the Front Porch Forum and then we organized,” Wennberg said.
Nancy Harkins, an organizer for the event, said she is worried about the leadership of President Trump and Department of Government Efficiency figurehead Elon Musk.
“I am really concerned about what’s happening in our country, that laws are being broken and our rights are being violated, and the administration is not following the rule of law,” she said.
Jill Brown, a graduate student at UVM, said she attended the protest in support of her friends within the transgender community who felt unsafe attending the protest in person.
“I’m really fearful for my friends within the trans community,” she said. “It’s really concerning to see the discourse that’s being spread about trans people and what rights they should have and their representation outside of where they’re comfortable.”
UVM first-year Maggie Doherty brought up similar concerns and reasoning for being present and participating in the protest. She is worried about her friends in the LGBTQ+ community and wants to be present to advocate for them.
“I’m queer,” Doherty said. “I have queer friends and POC friends that I want to make sure I can fight for.”
The gathering also featured a drumming demonstration by Sambatucada, an Afro-Brazilian percussion group based in the Burlington area, and songs played by Avi Salloway, a Vermont-based musician, activist and educator.
Wennberg said the event was created last-minute, with beginning preparations only starting 10 days before the protest took place. Despite the late notice, protesters filled the entire block outside of Burlington City Hall.
When asked about the response from Burlington seen in such a short amount of time, Wennberg said that it gave him a lot of hope for the future and the people’s willingness to fight.
“There’s strength in numbers, we can fight back,” he said. “With compassion and love, we can fight back.”
