Hands Off! Rallying for our Future in Connecticut

Hands Off rallies on April 5 brought millions of people across the country into the streets to demand a stop to illegal cuts to social programs, public worker firings, deportations with no due process, environmental devastation, trade wars and more by the billionaire Trump-Musk fascist-minded regine.

In Connecticut, about 15,000 people in 24 towns marched and rallied in record numbers on April 5. Organizing is now underway for upcoming mobilizations on April 19 in Hartford to support SB 8 unemployment insurance for striking workers and on May 1 in Hartford at 10:30 am at Bushnell Park and New Haven at 5 pm on the New Haven Green for May Day International Workers Day.

NEW HAVEN

On April 5, three thousand workers, retirees, comrades and activists united on the downtown New Haven Green with New Haven Indivisible joined by allies of the New Haven Rising coalition and leadership from the New Haven Federation of Teachers and community and local labor unions members, and first time rally-goers to deliver a powerful message to Elon Musk and President Trump: 'Hands Off!' Hands off our Social Security. Hands off our public schools. Hands off our Medicare. Hands off our jobs. Hands off our unions and contracts.

The lively crowd, armed with protest signs and banners, gathered on the New Haven Green to voice their opposition to President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk. Among the signs were messages like “DOGE is not legit” and “Why does Elon have your Social Security info?”. Rev Scott Marks, director of New Haven Rising declared, “We aim to use this demonstration to demand that Trump and Musk take their hands off the programs that middle-class and working families rely on.” Rally speakers and organizers echoed the same message, stating, “Enough is enough. It is time for all of us in Connecticut to rise up and fight back for what we believe in.” said youth activist Ambar Santiago-Rojas. The rally also spotlighted critical issues such as preserving Medicaid, Social Security, immigrant rights, LGBTQ rights, the courts, and democracy. Following the rally, the massive crowd poured into the downtown streets of New Haven, chanting, “whose streets?, our streets!”

NEW LONDON

Close to 1,000 union members, peace activists, civil servants, retirees, students, migrants, and working people stood in front of the New London County Courthouse to call for a stop to the Trump/Musk Coup, to demand the Bill of Rights be protected from attack, and to rally to the defense of unions, civil servants, and our public programs. The Court House, which has been in continual use since the 1780s, is fittingly located at a five-way intersection across the street from the New London Public Library and just a few short blocks away from the landing-point of the Amistad, within sight of the State Pier and its towering windmills, and among several churches and public housing.

The police struggled in good spirits to keep the masses from meeting in the middle of the road, but whenever the crossing-light changed, dozens of working people would cross the street to cheers.

This street crossing symbolized a unifying of movements and issues. From the Court House, there were speakers demanding due process for all peoples, the liberation of detainees, and the end of the Palestinian genocide. From the Public Library, there were demands that Trump keep his hands off our public education and teachers unions. From the Amistad, there were calls for protecting the LGBTQ+ community and youth. From the State Pier, environmentalists called for a protection of our ecosystem. From the apartment blocks, working people called for billionaires to keep their hands off Social Security, housing assistance, and Medicaid.

When the lights changed and the crossings paused, cars drove through the heart of the movement. Taking in the signs, sounds, and energy of working class solidarity, the drivers would, almost instinctively, honk their horns to signal their solidarity. For hours, this five-way intersection stood as the thunderous heart of a working class tired of being oppressed.

An elder walked into the intersection, overcome with emotion. With tears in his eyes, he could be heard saying, “This is America, this is America.”

NIANTIC

A chill April wind blowing across the railroad tracks from Long Island Sound and sporadic rain failed to dampen an enthusiastic Hands Off! rally at the Niantic Green. Surrounding three sides of the T intersection of CT State routes 156 and 161 stood about 300 winter-coated and umbrellaed residents, 10% of the population. Several gray-haired women in parkas and raincoats shouted from the curb to the passing traffic “Beep! Beep!” and received honks from cars and many pickup trucks in response. An engineer also blew the horn of an accelerating train.

The mainly senior crowd included teen-agers, small children and dogs on leashes. They held hand drawn signs including “Tax the Rich,” “If you think it’s bad now, just wait,” “Hands off Social Security.” One creative protester’s sign read “Porsche - Fast, Ferrari - Faster, Tesla - Fascist” referring to the electric car company multi-billionaire and President Trump’s favorite government assassin Elon Musk purchased and is CEO of.

Under a small covered gazebo a few elected officials encouraged the crowd. One was State Senator Martha Marx who said the only way to save us from the dictatorial Trump policies was for people to be out in the streets. In Niantic, we were. 

WATERBURY and TORRINGTON

The Hands Off rally in Waterbury was modest in size but it was a wonderful development. Usually the town of Waterbury sits protests out. This time residents felt compelled to come together.

In Torrington people gathered at the Post Office lining both sides of the street. The crowd was many people deep. The rally wass very spirited and attended by multiple State Representatives and Congressman John Larson who greeted each person and spoke about the need to mobilize in order to save Social Security.

HARTFORD

It was raining by 3 pm but that did not deter the crowd of 2500 at the North Steps of the State Capitol, holding creative signs and cheering for messages of encouragement, determination and solidarity. Attorney General William Tong listed four more lawsuits he filed this week, winning four more stays on Executive Orders that cut funding for healthcare, public museums and libraries, and fomented deportations with no due process. “Trump is flooding the zone, so I am flooding the zone. He wants to exhaust us. I am not exhausted, are you exhausted?” he asked and the crowd roared NO. In the crowd were veterans of many struggles alongside those who were coming out for the first time to protest. One woman said her first protest was Black Lives Matter and now she was compelled to come out again to stop the devastation and racism underway. It was fun to be there with the YCL, but we never did get all our people to one spot because the crowd was so dense it was hard to move. The poet laureaut of Manchester offered a powerful rendition of an original work. Bette Marafino spoke of the dangerous attack underway in an attempt to steal and privatize our earned Social Security to give more tax cuts to billionaires. A powerful speker from the LGBTQ community received applause and support. In the friendly atmosphere everyone was looking out for one another, making the rally more powerful.  This is not a one and done, this a movement and we are on the move!

WE ARE MANY - THEY ARE FEW - STOP THE BILLIONAIRE COUP!        Annual May Day Rally hosted by Connecticut People's World on Saturday May 3 at 6 pm at 267 Chapel St, New Haven.  May Day Around the World slide show, songs of resistance, demands for our future.  See you there.