What were people protesting?

On Saturday, April 5, in downtown Chico, swaths of residents came out in unison to showcase their fear, concerns, and anger against the newly elected Trump Administration and unelected head of Doge, Elon Musk. The ChicoSol reports that event organizers estimate that more than 3,500 people could have been there that day.

This was a national protest that participants and organizers coined the “Hands Off” movement. It spanned the length of the entire US and had an estimated 1,200 different demonstrations nationwide, as reported by the National Post. Chico residents seemed to be sure they did not miss an opportunity to show how they were feeling by exercising their first amendment right to protest peacefully against some of the Trump Administration’s recent and possible future changes.

Straight from the protester’s mouths

Cheyenne Seawater, a Butte College student’s perspective

Standing at the front of the speaker’s stage was Butte College student Cheyenne Seawater, who engaged in a similar protest on campus, also reported by our print editor-in-chief Juan R. Valencia.

Cheyenne told me that she came out that day to “…protest alongside an insane amount of other locals for Medicaid, for transgender rights, for education, for our overall national well being and our safety…” When asked what her biggest grievances of the Trump Administration are, she told me that she feels the Trump Administration is targeting individuals that do not fit its narrative of an acceptable citizen, particularly lower and working class individuals. She said that she feels that people that do not fit into his “Culty narrative” are not fit for the society they envision.

When asked how Butte College students could find out about future protests and demonstrations, she gave me tips and resources such as keeping up with local groups such as NorCal Resist. She also shared that there are protests every Friday in front of Chico’s City Hall from around 11 AM to 1 PM, so join those through the DACC if you are interested.

Chico Social Worker Rose York speaks up

Another amongst the crowd willing to share her reasons for being there on that warm spring day was Rose York, a local social worker. When asked what her concerns are over the newest elected POTUS Donald Trump, she explained that she fears for her father, who is a veteran, and the mental health concerns for people like at-risk children, who she felt were moving in the right direction and getting the help they needed, and that that momentum has “done a hard right” with this administration.

When questioned about her reaction to Elon Musk’s hand gesture in which some have interpreted as a Sieg Heil (Nazi Salute) that the public figure did after Donald Trump won the election, she replied “Shock…. the amount of gas lighting that happened surrounding that incident…. It’s hard to understand.”

Though she seemed dismayed with the current Trump Administration, she said that she saw the Hands-Off movement as a day to uplift and to come together as a community. She said that we were all being isolated and just hearing bad things on our phones constantly, so an event like this is what she hopes is a catalyst for the change that needs to happen, and she ended the interview saying that “… I think we need more catalysts.”

Stonewall gets involved with Justina J. Sotelo

Amongst a few booths offering goods and services was Executive Director for Stonewall Alliance of Chico, Justina J. Sotelo (she/they). They explained that they came that day as an “ally support,” and that when looking at the rights of LGBTQ community members, especially trans members, “there are definitely some fears going on.” When asked about the huge turnout, they told me that seeing other folks coming out that day was “overwhelming in the best of sense.”

Justina went on to share the variety of resources by the local Stonewall Alliance, such as advocacy, training, and even available appointments for information and answers regarding pursuing gender marker changes. They also host resource fairs and support groups for the community, and host the local Chico Pride event.

When asked what they were hoping would come of these nationwide protests, Justina responded for them it is just letting them know that their allies are standing with them, that if their siblings rights are taken away that they will stand for them, and that as a mass of people coming together, they are a united front against the Trump Administration’s agenda. At the end of the day, they encouraged everyone to be mindful of supporting the most marginalized, and to keep “those folks at the forefront when it comes to paying attention to who’s being targeted.”