By Julia Train
On Saturday, April 5, hundreds to thousands of protestors gathered at over 1,300 “Hands Off!” rallies throughout the country, according to NPR. Four of those occurred throughout Atlantic and Cape May counties in Galloway, Atlantic City, Ocean City and Cape May Court House.
Demonstrators rallied in protest of a plethora of different issues, but ultimately opposing President Donald Trump, with the single message: “Hands Off!”
Since President Trump began his second term in January, his administration has faced a series of protests over its plans and policies — including mass federal worker layoffs, immigration raids and the role of billionaire Elon Musk in the government.
Saturday’s demonstrations were reportedly the most widespread of his second term so far, according to NPR.
In Cape May Court House, Marya Parral estimates 400-500 protesters yelling “Hands Off!” They lined up along both sides of Main Street in front of the courthouse.
“People were very enthusiastic, but there was no aggression or anybody being unruly. It was a friendly crowd,” said Parral. “I just felt like the energy was really good. It made me feel happy to be there and energized… I would say there was much more positive response than negative, at least for what you could tell.”
She said that most drivers stared ahead and kept going without saying anything. Though, there were few who did.
“There were maybe a few naysayers, but overwhelmingly, the people that did say something in response or make a motion, it was in support,” she said. “It was super exciting to be able to be there, because I feel like the more bodies are there, the more it looks like a powerful movement, and that’s what we need to affect positive change.”
Parral’s reason for joining the movement is her two sons, who are developmentally disabled. She fears how the federal budget cuts will affect Medicaid.
“Every aspect of [my sons’] lives is funded by Medicaid,” Parral said.
Her older son goes to an organic farm in Estell Manor that she co-founded and had registered with the state of New Jersey as a provider agency for adults with developmental disabilities. The program is funded by Medicaid.
At 62, Parral has gone to countless protests for different reasons, like protesting against the war in Iraq, climate marches and the Women’s March after Trump was elected for the first time, among others.
But she said what struck her about this one was the diversity of the aspects, like Medicaid, Social Security and veteran benefits, that attendees were protesting the government to keep their “hands off.”
“It’s such a long list. We’ve never been in a situation where so much is being attacked at the same time,” Parral said.
Protesters wrapped around the entirety of Veterans Memorial Park in Ocean City with signs saying, “Dump Trump,” “Hands Off! Democracy” and “Hands Off! DEI,” among others. In Galloway Township, passionate community members lined Jimmie Leeds Road with signs conveying messages of “Hands Off Immigrants” and “Hands Off the Pinelands.”
In Atlantic City, at O’Donnell Memorial Park, about 300 people rallied together to protest in front of the park’s monument, so they’d be easily seen.
Several community leaders and activists spoke, such as Executive Director of El Pueblo Unido Atlantic City Cristian Moreno, President of the Atlantic County Council of Education Associations (ACCEA) Barbara Rheault, ACCEA Vice Presidents Brenda Brath and Melissa Tomlinson, and General Assembly candidates Maureen Rowan and Joanne Famularo.
Alice Carcilli, an educator and organizer for the Atlantic City chapter of Indivisible, a national social movement organization formed in response to Trump’s second presidency, also spoke.
“It was very peaceful. There was a lot of enthusiasm behind it. Everybody was really excited to be there and interested in being visible,” said Carcilli. “Everything that’s going on is upsetting me right now. I’m an educator, and I’m seeing cuts to education or impending cuts to education that are going to affect our students.”
She said she is also concerned about the migrants being sent to El Salvador and Medicaid being cut, which also contributed to her reasons for being in attendance.
“I felt like it’s what I can do as a citizen to try to support resistance against what we see happening,” Parral said. “So much is being affected right now that I think there are few among us who don’t have personal stakes in this.”
Julia is a recent Rider University graduate, where she studied multiplatform journalism and social media strategies. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, trying new coffee shops, photography and the beach. She can be reached at juliatrainmedia@gmail.com or connect with her on Instagram @juliatrain
