Americans Take to Streets Over Trump’s Assault on Civil Liberties
April 5th, 2025 millions of Americans flooded the streets, as protests erupted across the U.S. decrying the Trump administration’s cuts to Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare and Veteran Benefits. Signs waived above thousands of heads, as countless voices lifted in unison chants of, “HANDS OFF DEMOCRACY!!” Be sure to read the last article here.
I was at the protest rally in Austin, Texas at the State Capitol and the mood was incredible. Organized by the Reddit grassroots movement 50501, there was no shadowy corporation or crisis actors pulling the strings. It was We The People. And corporations are NOT people.
Every single state in the nation rose up in defiance of Trump and Elon Musk’s attempt to turn a democracy into a dictatorship.
Our eyes were glistening with passion, care and bravery, stepping forward to exercise our right to peacefully assemble and fight for what’s right. Walking across 11th street from Congress Avenue, I was among 7,000 Austinites, marching to the capitol.
The crazy thing was I almost didn’t go. It was a last minute decision, and at red lights in my car I was still working on my sign. A Sharpie dangling between my index and middle finger, I drove through the city, working on my “Hands Off Democracy” posterboard every time traffic slowed.
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I feel like the nation has amnesia. How quickly we’ve forgotten how we owe our civil liberties to protests that brought issues to the forefront. Forcing the public and policymakers to confront injustices and inequalities that might otherwise be ignored. Most of the business owners I know have tuned out, FB posts about what’s happening go ignored.
But the people are listening. Those who still support civil liberties, the movers and shakers, made their voices heard on this historic day.
As I walked onto the Texas State Capitol, I began seeing signs like “Fund Our Future” and t-shirts whose back read, “Tax The Rich.” Old people, young people, middle aged people on bicycles, sitting in lawn chairs, or standing and shouting all lay in front of my waiting footsteps.
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Across the nation, many Democratic heavyweights, like members of Congress, joined the protests, implored the public not to stand for the Trump administration violation of the Constitution.
“Our founders wrote a Constitution that did not begin with ‘We the dictators,'” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., told the crowd gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where organizers said over 100,000 people gathered.
He slammed the administration for several of its policies, including President Donald Trump’s implementing of tariffs on nearly every country. At the Texas state capitol, our numbers kept growing by the second.
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In an era where everything is politicized, it’s crazy that some of the topics we were protesting was clean air, and clean water.
Fundamental rights that due to cap-and-trade policies, were threatened like Flint Michigan. As long as companies can pay to pollute we have to continue to speak up. To protect the world we leave our children, to protect the National Parks. While on Facebook many shared memes as a TLDR for this sorta thing:
Back at the grounds of the Capitol we chanted in solidarity, in the thousands:
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Austin, Texas was not alone. All over the nation, we gathered to raise the cry that we won’t tolerate fascism in the Land of The Free:
The record for the largest single day, multi-location protest was the women’s March. And the estimates for yesterday’s protest is 5.2 million. I don’t think anyone is pointing this out yet, but this is the new record. And it’s just the beginning! The public sent a message that we do not consent to the destruction of our government and our economy for the benefit of Trump and his billionaire cronies.
Even during the chaos remember that you are not alone. Solidarity. I saw the organizer who started the Austin chapter of 50501 grassroots movement, Alexandra Haddix, speaking on the importance of equality.
But, do you know who I did NOT see a lot of at the Texas State Capitol? Young white men, in their late 10s, to early 20s. Which makes me question how many are bro-ing it up with Joe Rogan and Andrew Tate. And taking their talking points on genocidal ideation, misogyny and a general sense of hopelessness paired with the most toxic traits.
It was cold in my short-sleeve shirt and I was parked illegally downtown, but Congressman Greg Cesar had some of the most encouraging words I’ve heard to date:
“When you realize your power you get them on the run. And now they are on the run. Elon Musk just spent a fortune of a fortune on a Wisconsin Supreme Court race, only to lose terribly. [Cheers, Applause].
Now the right wing is so afraid that the Speaker of the US House said, ‘Don’t host any Townhalls…’ If republicans don’t start acting like representatives and keep on acting like Trump-Musk employees then they’ll wind up getting fired by their real boss- The American People. [Cheers and Applause]
I don’t think we need to fire public school teachers, we need to fire Elon Musk, what do yall say? Fire who?”
Crowd shouted back: “Elon Musk!”
“Fire who?!”
“Elon Musk!”
“Don’t fire our veterans. Fire who?!”
“ELON MUSK!!!”
“Don’t fire our scientists. Fire who?”
“Elon Musk!” The crowd shouted back. This went on for a while. Then Cesar continued:
“I can’t believe this guy. He comes out here saying that our kids are moochers. That our seniors, who get $65 dollars a day in Social Security are moochers. While Elon Musk gets 8 MILLION DOLLARS A DAY in federal contracts.”
The crowd booed loudly to this. Then the Congressman added, “This guy who is for waste fraud and abuse he’s out there trying to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars more in contracts in Telsa while he runs the White House. Is that right?”
A loud chorus of “No!s” replied.
“Next time Elon Musk said he’s coming for our Social Security we’re gonna say, HANDS OFF!” Thousands replied, “HANDS OFF!!” “HANDS OFF!” Cesar said, “When he comes for our public schools we’re going to say – the crowd responded: “HANDS OFF!”
Congressman Greg Cesar: “When he comes for Medicare we’re going to say…”
Crowd: “HANDS OFF!!!”
Congressman Greg Cesar: “When he comes for Medicaid we’re gonna say…”
Crowd: “HANDS OFF!!!”
Congressman Greg Cesar:”When he comes for our immigrant neighbors we’re gonna say…”
Crowd: “HANDS OFF!!!”
Congressman Greg Cesar: “When he comes for our Democracy we’re gonna say…”
Crowd: “HANDS OFF!!!”
It was very motivating to hear Cesar speak. He then brought our attention to how much republicans are in the lead over democrats right now.
“Republicans have not a mandate in Congress. They have a 3 vote majority. That’s not every much. They are nervous about it every single day. If you turn up the pressure. If you make your phone calls. If you march. If you call your neighbors. If you organize your block. If you organize your workplace. If you hold politicians accountable, they WILL break. And we CAN stop them. It only takes 3 – can we do that Austin, Texas?”
The crowd went wild. Newly galvanized by his words, we shouted in the call and response tradition, that humanity has done for centuries. But then, the Congressman had some sobering words:
“I don’t pretend it’s going to be easy. Extraordinary things happen when people just like you, get organized and demand more. In the 1920s, the Robber Barons – the Elon Musks of their day – they bought the government. They enriched themselves with our democracy. They caused the Great Depression. People didn’t just give up.
They organized, fought back. They elected FDR President. Created the New Deal, and created Social Security. In the 1960s when Segregation had a chokehold on Congress, people Just Like You didn’t give up. They organized. They marched. They fought and they bled until we passed The Civil Rights Act. That is what is possible when we organize Austin, Texas!”
The armed forces and government officials looked on silently perched from a balcony above it all. Were their alliance shifting?
The protestors gathered below and beyond the podium at the base of the Texas State Capitol cheered optimistically, seeing the full circle. The context. How despite doom scrolling and the persistent Social Engineering by Republicans to give up hope, that we had in fact been in this exact place before. And we overcame.
“So on our darkest days, I want you to remember, there MUST be a better world AFTER this. There must be. And our biggest enemy to get to that world is not Donald Trump, it’s not even Elon Musk. It is cynicism. It is this idea they plant inside our heads that we cannot work together and achieve great things. That we cannot create a better world after this.”
I felt his words in my heart. And knew them to be true. How many estranged business colleagues, tuned out, accepted the lies, and apathy? Too many to count. But there is another way. Congressman Greg Cesar spoke from his heart:
“But that cynicism is a lie Austin, Texas. And today we expose the truth!!! Our job is not to just save Medicare and Medicaid. Our job is to pass a law so that every single American has Medicare and you never again have to check your bank account on the way to the doctor’s office.”
“Our job is not to beg corporate CEOs to answer to us, ‘Please raise wages. Please stop raising prices.’ NO! Our job is to permanently get money out of politics! Our job is to break up big monopolies. Bring down housing prices and grocery wages. Require good wages for a full day of work.”
I cheered along with everyone around me.
He continued, “Our job is to put the power back into the hands of EVERY DAY PEOPLE!”
It was a unique feeling, standing among so many people with a new feeling of hope. After so many bad things that have happened in a short amount of time. Trump trying to go for a 3rd term, Democrats backsliding, Chuck Schumer being the worst to represent the Dems
Wisconsin Supreme Court vote
Despite Elon Musk’s hysterical warnings, cheesehead preening, and more than $20 million spent by the Republican in the race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court — much of it by Musk — it didn’t matter: Liberal judge Susan Crawford won by a remarkable 10 points, securing the court’s liberal majority.
A state that narrowly backed Trump in 2024 swung sharply away. Every county in Wisconsin shifted to the left in this race compared to the 2024 presidential race.
Not only did Judge Crawford pile up huge margins in Milwaukee and Madison, but she kept those of her opponent, Brad Schimel, down in Milwaukee’s predominantly white, middle- and upper-middle-class suburbs, where the abortion issue doubtless moved some Republican women to cross over and vote for her.
Wisconsin voters recoiled at the odor of Musk. At one point, Crawford referred to Schimel as “Elon Schimel.” That said it all.
Elon is proving to be a huge political liability. Trump says Musk is leaving the regime in a few weeks, IDK if this is for real, but fingers crossed.
Even Bernie Sanders Had FOMO
When one of the most vocal opponents to Silicon Valley’s attempt to destroy democracy gets fomo about what We The People are rising up to do…that is a good sign. In this world record breaking protest, the Alt Parks continues to be a source of inspo:
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And it was no exaggeration. Mainstream media outlets underreported our numbers to minimize, but in reality it was in the millions. Indiana showed up in strength:
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Not to be outdone, Milwaukee residents charged forward:
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But, as this Reddit post discusses, “Get it, Boston! DAMN. Putting us ALL to shame…” As a truly impressive amount of people showed up to Boston’s Hands Off Democracy protest.
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“He threatened our universities, our mayor, and our governor. Historically, boston does not take kindly to this shit.” In another Reddit post on Boston’s INSANE turn out, the city’s history in founding our country was mentioned:
In Austin, Texas we even had protestors in the trees.
After countless hours online, researching, wondering why more of my friends and business network were not up in arms, it was a relief to find others who also paid attention.
It wasn’t just me. The entire nation was taking to the streets and letting the billionaires know, they won’t accept a tech bro and a con man hijacking Democracy, eliminating checks and balances by bribing members of Congress and stacking the Supreme Court with Trump loyalists.
It was and is bullshit. And we’re calling them out on it.
The time is now. If not now, then when? If not you then who? America has spoken and civil liberties WILL BE defended. This ain’t AI. This is not crowd size PR spin. This is us, on the ground floor, grassroots organizing, while elites in ivory towers stare apprehensively down at us:
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That’s the power of the people. As Congressman Greg Cesar reminded us, it’s these acts of civil disobedience that established Social Security IN THE FIRST PLACE. Not to be outdone, a new member of Congress stepped up to the podium to bring it home.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett’s Inspiring Words
Rep. Lloyd Doggett made an empowered plea to our stomping feet and upraised signs:
Doggett has long been an advocate for the people, having led efforts for Dreamers I covered as a young investigative reporter in college. I was not surprised to see him at the 50501 Hands Off Democracy rally. And yet, I still found myself getting goosebumps when he spoke with such clarity and simple power.
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“Trump said he’d turn America red and he’s done it. Markets are at $5 TRILLION dollars less than they were a week ago.
Americans are seeing more because they have to pay more to get less because of his one man crusade to sink our world into a recession.
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What can you do about it?
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That’s the question people are asking. “What can I do?”
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Instead of waiting for a superhero PUT ON YOUR OWN CAPE!!! You may not be able to leap tall buildings but you can help us climb up the steps to overcome this oppression.”
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I am strengthened by the spirit of the people, the compassion, the education, the self awareness, the grassroots organizing that DOES make real change a reality, raising awareness of the public and forcing policy makers to take notice.
I spoke with the lead organizer who started the Austin, Tx 50501 chapter and will be speaking at the next rally and lending a hand.
But…
Our work is not done.
On January 20, 2025, Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency at the southern border. But the most alarming part?
It gave the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security just 90 days to deliver a joint report on whether he should invoke the Insurrection Act.
That deadline is April 20. This wasn’t about immigration. It was about power. The Insurrection Act, passed in 1807, gives the president the authority to deploy the U.S. military on American soil.
That means troops in our cities.
That means bypassing governors. That means suspending protest rights.
That means the death of democratic dissent—under the false pretense of restoring “order.”
In June 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, millions of Americans rose up in protest and Trump – when the military hesitated to invoke the Insurrection Act – Trump sent federal forces to violently clear peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square so he could wave a Bible in front of a church.
I am cautiously optimistic. The vote with your dollar protests of Tesla are working. Our organizing is working. Education is working.
The Bush era republicans are moving center-left on Trump’s term in office. We have momentum, and the people are rising up. Let’s keep it going!
My question is…who are we replacing Trump and Elon with?
REMEMBER REMEMBER The 5th of November. Let us stand strong and REMEMBER, grassroots organizing literally created freedoms we enjoy. Boston, let me give you some tea. You know what to do with it.
-Neo
Resources
https://www.buildtheresistance.org/50501
https://www.fiftyfifty.one
https://pol-rev.com
https://www.nvunheard.org/protest-listings
https://indivisible.org
https://handsoff2025.com
https://www.mobilize.us/handsoff/event/764896/
Protester Resources
Find Other Protests + Ways to Take Action from No Voice Unheard
Organizer Resources
#BuildTheResistance
