Resistance awakes as “Hands Off” rallies energize Northern Michigan against Trump
Photos by Chris Hintz
By Jacob Wheeler
Sun editor
As many as 4,000 demonstrators rallied at the Traverse City Governmental Center and along Eighth Street on Saturday, April 5, as part of nationwide “Hands Off” protests to oppose the Trump administration’s aggressive policies on trade tariffs, cuts to social services, health programs and National Parks, and threats against immigrants and free speech. The Traverse City event was organized by Traverse Indivisible and Leelanau Indivisible. Hundreds more protested along state highways in towns including Benzonia and Suttons Bay.
Organizers said that more than 1,300 grassroots rallies nationwide drew over a million people across all 50 states as well as major cities including London and Paris. “Hands Off” organizers articulated three demands: “an end to the billionaire takeover and rampant corruption of the Trump administration; an end to slashing federal funds for Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs working people rely on; and an end to the attacks on immigrants, trans people, and other communities.”
Huge crowds at the “Hands Off” rallies suggested that the resistance to Trump’s policies has awoken. Previous local protest events have included: a mock “townhall” for Republican Congressman Jack Bergman (who didn’t attend) on March 22 at Northwestern Michigan College’s Milliken Auditorium, following previous “townhalls” elsewhere in Michigan’s First Congregational District; a March 21 discussion at Milliken featuring Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and State Rep. Betsy Coffia (both Democrats), and a March 1 demonstration outside Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore headquarters (and at Parks nationwide).
Scott Perry, who served as the “Hands Off” rally’s MC (and who narrowly lost a race for the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners last November) told the Sun he hopes these demonstrations “amplify the alarm that this administration is incompetent, and together these people can rally under a unified path toward impeaching the president.
“People have been waiting to crawl out of hibernation all winter. As these rallies grow in size, I anticipate that people will recognize this administration’s house of cards will fold. There are only so many days of stock market crashes and abducting of college students that the general public can take.”
Speakers at the Traverse City rally on April 5 included Leelanau County citizens who spoke critically about the impact of Trump’s policies on local farmers and agricultural exports, military veteran services, and cuts to the National Park Service, including Sleeping Bear Dunes, which attracts more than 1.5 million visitors each year—a catalyst for northern Michigan’s tourism industry.
Don Gallagher, a cherry and vegetable farmer in Elmwood Township, worried about the impact of Trump’s tariffs on foreign-made products, which have prompted counter-tariffs and boycotts on goods grown or made in the United States. Those tariffs have sent shockwaves through global stock markets and prompted fears of an economic recession.
“Canada is the biggest importer of sweet cherries. So now what? Did we just lose that market and never get it back?” asked Gallagher in an interview with the Sun. “Farmers who voted for Trump were voting against their own interest.
“My hope is that (the rally) opened people’s eyes and that many will get involved.”
Justina Hlavka, a disabled veteran who lives in Suttons Bay, expressed outrage at how Trump has handled the military since taking office in January.
“Decades of experience gone. Why? Because they didn’t fit his image of power,” she told demonstrators. “And then, with a straight face, he promotes Pete Hegseth (Trump’s Secretary of Defense who, before his appointment, opposed women serving in combat). Give me a damn break. This isn’t about qualifications, it’s about ego, and it makes my red, white and blue blood boil. He’s erasing women and minority service members from the Pentagon’s history as if we never existed.
“I won’t be erased.”
Hlavka told the Sun she feels passionate because the Trump administration’s threatened cuts could impact mental health care for disabled veterans. She cited the statistic that 22 veterans a day lose their lives to suicide.
The turnout at Traverse City’s “Hands Off” rally impressed Hlavka.
“I’ve been to a few local events, but this was different. It was huge. Traverse City turned out. The energy was palpable.
“I said in my speech, ‘Everybody’s gotta stand up. You have to be what you want to see in the world.’ That’s why I joined the military. My oath to this country never expires.”
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