by Dennis Dalman
On “Hands Off!” Day April 5, St. Cloud was just one of hundreds of protests/rallies in all 50 states at which people pushed back against the policies and actions of the President Donald Trump Administration.
People carrying signs gathered from noon-2 p.m. along Division Street near the Great River Regional Library in St. Cloud. Organizers estimated there were more than 2,200 participants who lined the sidewalks for two blocks on both sides of Division. Many passing motorists honked horns and gave gestures of approval. Other motorists yelled words of opposition, of support for President Trump and/or gave gestures of disapproval.
On one part of the street there was a group of four people carrying two Trump campaign signs saying “Trump 2024.”
People from throughout central Minnesota attended the rally, including participants from St. Joseph and Sartell, as well as from cities and rural areas beyond the area. Many resistance groups showed up to join together in solidarity from other areas of central Minnesota.
There were also “Hands Off” rallies in other Minnesota cities, some of them being Alexandria, Duluth, Cloquet, Rochester and Plymouth. In St. Paul on the site of the Capitol building, a “Hands Off!” rally drew an estimated 20,000-plus participants. Keynote speaker U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, at one point in her speech, urged Republicans to “show backbone” and stand up against some actions taken by the president.
“Stand up and stop acting like subjects to a king,” she said.
At the St. Cloud protest, participants carried signs with statements on them. Some examples are:
“Democracy Dies in Silence”
“RULE of LAW.”
“(Rep.) Tom EMMER is a Coward.”
“Have empathy!”
“Keep Your Hands Off All Of Us.”
“Don’t Touch Medicaid!”
One woman carried a very large “Hands Off!” sign. On the back were printed “Hands Off!” topics that included Medicaid & Medicare, Veterans, Consumer Protections, Immigrants, Social Security, LGBTQ+ Rights, Clean Air & Energy, Jobs, Books, Students and NATO. Those topics – and others – were also noted on many of the signs held by other protestors.
Groups throughout the nation, including the St. Cloud-based one, Americans for Democracy, intend to hold more meetings and rallies well into summer and perhaps beyond.
Steve Steinle of Alexandria holds three signs during a “Hands Off!’ rally in that city April 5. That was one of many cities that day where similar rallies took place, including St. Cloud, Duluth, Rochester and St. Paul where an estimated 10,000-plus people participated in a rally at the State Capitol building.
