The Hands off Protests, which have been circling the media, have been going on all over the US on Saturdays. Also called the 50501 movement for 50 protests, 50 states and 1 movement. This was the public’s response to the “government overreach” and “anti-democratic and illegal actions of the Trump administration,” according to the 50501 website. While the protests have occurred in every state, it most notably occured in Salt Lake City Utah. This is notable because Utah is a red state that voted for President Trump in the 2024 election, and these protests show the support for the other side. Signs read “Hands Off everything we love”, as thousands crowd around the Utah Capitol building with signs, asking the administration to let loose on democracy.
Emma Weibel, a senior at La Jolla High explained, “I know it was a protest responding to Donald Trump’s executive orders and other governmental actions that were directly affecting people’s lives.” Further, she explained the protests dealt with, “everything from the cuts in federal funding, the firing of federal agencies, his cuts to environmental regulation to attacks on the constitution.” Weibel is a young activist who is just finishing her senior year and is very involved in school clubs and protests. “It was basically just an overall day of action that I believe had at least 5.2 million people show up. There were protests in every single state and it was really a mass mobilization of people showing [Trump] needs to get his hands off of people’s rights and welfare programs.”
According to CNN, “‘Whether you are mobilized by the attacks on our democracy, the slashing of jobs, the invasion of privacy, or the assault on our services – this moment is for you,’ the event flyers state. ‘We are setting out to build a massive, visible, national rejection of this crisis.’” The media is currently split and under a lot of tension between the government and the people.