Last Saturday, the fifth of April, saw over 1,300 demonstrations take place around the country, organized by the 50501 movement. On the steps of state capitals, outside federal buildings and city halls, and at the base of the Washington Monument in D.C, anti-Trump protestors peacefully gathered in droves and made their voices heard. 

By 50501’s own estimates, over three million people turned out for these protests, united in putting forward one big message to the president – “Hands Off!”. To the group of thousands who assembled that day at California’s capitol building in downtown Sacramento, this meant a demand for Donald Trump to keep his hands off of:

• Social Security
• The National Parks System and grants for Historic Sites
• The Department of Education and FAFSA
• Medicaid and Medicare
• Abortion Rights
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs
• Funds for Food Banks and School Lunches
• & Immigrants’ Rights

Along with these issues, demonstrators went on further, calling out the ineptitudes within the Trump administration and expressing their frustration over its recent decisions.

For one, they singled out the incompetence of Trump’s cabinet advisors. Targeted at the evidently under qualified individuals in charge of our federal departments, one sign read “Even IKEA has better CABINETS.” 

Another sign displayed the message “STOP PROJECT 2025”, referring to the Heritage Foundation’s far-right blueprint to reshape the structure of the U.S. government. While President Trump denies ever having read this literature, parts of its content have already been implemented through his executive orders, such as freezing the hiring of federal workers. He’s even appointed its chief author, Russell Vought as White House budget director. Needless to say, its plans and their implications have proved largely unpopular.

Many of the protesters also expressed their discomfort at Elon Musk’s actions as head of the Department of Government Efficiency and behind the scenes at the White House. A wide variety of signs criticized his layoffs of long-time government officials and essential civil servants. 

Throughout the protest, I also sensed the awakenings of some class consciousness. Witnessing how the rich and well-to-do, especially those with corporate interests, have been welcomed into a president’s cabinet with such willingness and panache, a good portion there that day were acutely aware of the detriments that such conflicts of interests give way to. When the people who run corporations are put in charge of the government which regulates such businesses, it is as if you assigned yourself the responsibility to self-police on a diet and not indulge in a sweet treat – it almost never works. Profit prevails, and as people have realized, it does so in indifference to the struggles of working and middle class people. Protesting this unequal arrangement, I saw many signs that said things like “EAT THE RICH”. Serving as a firm and much-needed reminder to those in power, another sign read “PUT PEOPLE ABOVE PROFITS.”

But most of all, demonstrators were frustrated with what they viewed as Donald Trump’s blatant disregard for our nation’s constitution. In a country that highly regards such a document, Trump has, more than any other President, acted through executive order and other means to test what his administration can get away with politically, regardless of what the constitution or common morals dictate. Combating Trump’s apparent view that he can bend and flex the constitution to his will, one dog-owner put a sign on their corgi’s harness, declaring, “Paws off the Constitution – Paws off our Freedom”

My Experience

On that Saturday, my mom and I decided to go to the “Hands Off” protest via light rail. As we made it to the station near our house, we noticed a couple of others waiting around with signs and pins. At that point it was obvious that we were all going to the same place.

Then, as the train made its stop and the doors opened, we were greeted by a packed train of fellow protestors, who squished in a little to make room. Once the doors closed, the train soon departed. As we headed down the line, every stop welcomed more and more demonstrators aboard. To me it was a beautiful sight to see so many people coming together. Fittingly, a fellow passenger referred to us as the “Freedom Train.”

After the Freedom Train had hit the station at Archives Plaza, we all disembarked, heading towards the capitol. There, we joined what must have been thousands of other Californians of all shapes and sizes. Carrying signs, waving flags, and chanting “THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE,” the atmosphere and the overwhelming positivity of the moment almost brought tears to my eyes.

As we made our way around the grounds of the capitol and through the crowd with great difficulty, I recognized friends, parents, neighbors, and former teachers. For some of them, it was their first protest ever. Among such first-timers was my neighbor, who had only recently been granted citizenship and was moved to tears by what she saw.

The Takeaways

All in all, I was extremely proud of everyone who showed up. I witnessed this group of people, who knew what they were up against and knew what they were fighting for. This determination and knowledge of the issues demonstrated to me that there is still blood coursing through the veins of America – that our democracy still has a pulse.

However, the one thing I noticed there, to my dismay, was the lack of people my age. As I was circulating through the enormous mass of people, I couldn’t help but realize that compared to the amount of adults and older individuals, teens and young adults had some lackluster turnout.

The thing is: this isn’t entirely normal. Historically, youth have been at the forefront of most revolutions and demonstrations, demanding change. In recent times, they have provided strong bases of power and dynamic energy to many American movements. In the sixties, students and other young men and women were instrumental in Civil Rights campaigns, forming organizations like the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee to fight injustice through sit-ins in the segregated south. On the streets of East L.A. in 1968, Chicano students organized walk-outs to bring about substantial reforms in education and to combat racial injustice in schools. As news reports of the War in Vietnam hit American TVs, young people were the ones to march heavily in protest of the war. 

These examples saw protestors killed, injured, tear gassed, and often arrested, yet such actions by police did not crush the spirit of resistance. And through it all, courageous efforts often yielded progress. 

Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen this spirit revive, with students protesting to demand improved gun regulation and active solutions to the school shooting epidemic. Black Lives Matter protests have also mobilized numbers of students, who were drawn to stand up for what is right.

My main takeaway from this little history lesson and what I saw at Saturday’s protest was that we, as young folk and Gen-Z, need to organize. Instead of bogging down in our feelings of frustration, a habit I’m sure we’re all guilty of, we need to inform ourselves on the exact sources of our frustrations. In other words, we need to become more aware, more alert, and stay that way. 

While this may seem cliche, our resistance as youth matters in moments like these because our future is truly at stake. The actions and projected decisions of the Trump administration will either affect you now or down the line. 

For instance, if you rely on hot lunch at school as your main source of food during the day, you could very well see such a valuable asset disappear under the funding cuts Trump has presented. 

If you’re planning on going to college after high school, Trump’s dismantling of the Department of Education and possible cutting of FAFSA aid could bring uncertainty to your future. In fact, depending on your financial situation, it could mean serious and long-term debt as you pursue higher education. 

When you soon begin to enter the workforce, you’ll likely find that once stable government jobs as well as jobs in the sciences and the arts which are reliant on federal funding will likely no longer be there for you. 

Then, with the state of the economy in shambles after Trump’s issued tariffs, buying a home or renting one will become a less and less attainable goal. In healthcare, family planning, finances, and so on and so forth – no matter what it is – judging from Trump’s actions in those last three months, the next four years, some of the most crucial in the development of our lives outside of high school, will be most heavily impacted.

As you can see, this is exactly why we as youth need to turn-out in full-force – because the course of our future may very well depend on it. And if that isn’t reason enough, I don’t know what else is.