A large crowd of demonstrators gathered in Cleveland on Saturday afternoon as part of national protests against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
Protesters, clad in raincoats and holding signs condemning Trump and various policies of his administration, flooded Market Park Square and hugged all four corners of the intersection of West 25th Street and Lorain Avenue. Crowds stood shoulder to shoulder and stretched down the retail and restaurant corridor of West 25th, chanting as car horns blared in approval.
Among them was 77-year-old Mary Grigolia of Lakewood.
"Right now, visibility is key so that people can understand that they're not alone, because we are being pressed to be afraid and to retreat," Grigolia said. "And so we need to keep coming out until the path forward is found."
Many families were in attendance. Amanda Ferry, 45, whose husband stood beside her with their daughter on his shoulders, said it was important to demonstrate democracy in action.
"I want [my daughter] to know that I will always stand up for her rights, and I want to her to be comfortable and strong and standing up for herself," Ferry said. "And unfortunately, this is probably not going to be the last protest she's going to have to go to."
Cleveland joins scores of other peaceful protests planned nationwide. The rallies, dubbed "Hands Off!" and organized by the grassroots group Indivisible, have been billed as the largest day of political action since Trump assumed office for his second term.
Indivisible said about 250,000 people across the country registered for more than 1,100 rallies planned for Saturday to voice opposition against various Trump policies and sweeping federal government cuts spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.
Organizers said more than 2,000 people had registered for Saturday's rally in Cleveland. Hands Off 2025 rallies were scheduled to take place in several other other locations around Northeast Ohio, including Akron, Geneva, Warren, Youngstown, Canton, New Philadelphia, Mansfield, Ashland, Wooster, Kent, Cuyahoga Falls, Medina, Wellington, Ravenna, Chagrin Falls, Strongsville, Oberlin and Avon Lake.
In Cleveland, 46-year-old Sarah Hodge said she was encouraged by the turnout but wanted to see more people because "everybody is affected."
"Everybody needs be calling their congressmen until the phone breaks, emailing people until the email doesn't work anymore," Hodge said. "Until it's made clear that America is going to stay America, the Constitution is going be followed, and we're gonna use our tax dollars to protect our people."
Hodge teaches social studies.
"I teach the children every day that the Bill of Rights is sacred, the Constitution is sacred. And what Trump is doing right now is violating every aspect of the Constitution, every aspect of the Bill of Rights," Hodge said. "So that's why I have to be here."
Henry Burkhart, 14, of Shaker Heights, was in attendance with his father. He said some of the recent federal government cuts, particularly Trump's promises to gut the Department of Education, make him feel worried about his future.
"This is really going to affect my future more than anyone else's because I'm Gen Z," Burkhart said. "And I feel like it's really important because I am not even able to vote yet, but I know this is really important for my future and this is a really crucial time in our nation's history to be protesting."
