Thousands of protesters are expected to participate in a series of anti-Trump protests across the country and in Northeast Ohio on Saturday.
One protest is planned for Cleveland’s West Side Ohio City neighborhood. Organizers said that as of Thursday, 2,000 people had registered for that demonstration, which is part of the nationwide mobilization dubbed "Hands Off."
April 5 is expected to be the single largest day of protest since Donald Trump took office in January. Since returning to the White House, Trump’s sweeping executive orders and inclusion of billionaire Elon Musk in federal decision-making have unified a number of groups in opposition to him, from those worried about the economic impacts of tariffs to others concerned for the impacts of cuts to the federal workforce.
A few different local organizations partnered to organize the Cleveland Hands Off 2025 rally, including Mobilize the Vote NEO, a left-leaning voter turnout and empowerment group.
“We’re trying to give people an outlet for their frustrations. We’re trying to give them hope for the future and tell them how to take action,” said Sue Dean Dyke, founder of Mobilize the Vote NEO and one of the main organizers of Saturday’s rally.
There isn’t a singular focus of the rally, but Dean Dyke said she hopes the protests encourage people to get engaged to vote in the midterm elections, while also getting the attention of the president, Elon Musk and local representatives.
She said a lot of organizers like herself have been frustrated with how difficult it’s been to contact Ohio Senators Bernie Moren and Jon Husted, both Republicans.
“We’re not in a position of power, and the only thing we have at this point — since our representatives don’t listen to us and you’ve got organizations like law firms and congresspeople and universities that are capitulating to this — it’s really up to the people now to try to change this,” Dean Dyke said.
The rally will take place at Market Park Square on the corner of West 25th Street and Lorain Avenue.
“These rallies, these events are great opportunity to unify and bring all sorts of people together and make them feel like we are making a difference,” Dean Dyke said.
Similar Hands Off 2025 rallies are scheduled to take place in several other Northeast Ohio locations, including Akron, Geneva, Warren, Youngstown, Canton, New Philadelphia, Mansfield, Ashland, Wooster, Kent, Cuyahoga Falls, Medina, Wellington, Ravenna, Chagrin Falls, Strongsville, Oberlin and Avon Lake.
