“Despair is not going to save us.” Chicago says ‘Hands Off’ Our Country

“Rise up, fight back” echoed throughout the crowd of 20,000 repeatedly at the “Hands Off” rally that took place on April 5 in Chicago. This rally and march was one of the thousand that happened all across the country.

At the Daley Plaza, the crowd spilled onto the nearby blocks as they eagerly awaited for the speakers. Colorful signs painted the plaza in anger and outrage, with people of all ages showing up to use their voices.

Protester Carol J. dressed up as Trump wearing a prison jumpsuit while holding a sign saying “send him to El Salvador.”

“A statement needed to be made, and sometimes a little humor will go a long way,” said Carol.

To Elmhurst students, he said “you can make a difference,” encouraging being active politically through voting, paying attention, and using your voice.

Speakers from the Chicago Federation of Labor, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Equality Illinois, Sierra Club Illinois, and Personal PAC shared their outrage and resistance with the crowd.

“Dr. Martin Luther King said ‘the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice, is anyone here to bend the arc today?” asked Precious Brady-Davis, commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. In response, the crowd erupted in cheers.

“We knew Chicago has been a target of ICE, but I know for a fact that we’re very well-educated about our rights here in Illinois,” said Lawrence Benito of Illinois Coalition for Immigration and Refugee Rights. “We know it’s not the government or the president who protect our people, we are the ones that keep each other safe.

Benito encouraged onlookers to join the “Eyes on ICE” text network, “where we will look out for our neighbors and keep each other safe.”

“These times are crazy, my advice to you: do not get distracted. Yes be outraged, yes be appalled, then, get active,” said Sarah Garza Resnick, Chief Executive Officer at Personal Pac. “Despair is not going to save us.”

“Elect officials who believe our bodies belong to us,” added Garza Resnick. “And this is the important part: we hold them accountable!”

“We accept the election, Trump won, we get it. But 77 to 75 million votes is not a blow-out,” said Jack Darin, Chapter Director of Sierra Club Illinois. “In March Madness, we call that a buzzer beater.”

“What it is definitely not is a mandate to come after our future and our communities,” added Darin. “So today we rise up to protect what we love, because no one voted for polluters to have their way with Lake Michigan. No one voted to go backwards on climate change and to stop building clean energy. So we say hands off our good union clean energy jobs. No one voted to sell off our national parks and forests to pay for tax cuts for the rich. Hands off our public lands.”

As the crowd spilled onto the street, drums sounded and people chanted sayings such as “stand up fight back.” Given the large crowd size, it took a while to leave the plaza but when protesters did, they were greeted with more onlookers cheering them on from the sidewalks.

“At the end of the day, we are all layers of identities,” said Asher McMaher, the Executive Director of Trans Up Front. “Everyone deserves to be celebrated and validated.”

“This is a sure sign that people are mad as hell and not going to take it anymore, as Trump, Musk, and the GOP controlled Congress gut services, raise prices, cut jobs, and race towards slashing Medicaid, Social Security, and more essential programs,” Sally Schulze of Indivisible Chicago told The Leader. “All so they can make their billionaire buddies even richer.”