By Donald Gilpin

With a broad agenda of issues and a sharp focus in opposition to the Trump administration agenda, more than 1,000 demonstrators, undeterred by dark skies and periodic rain showers, arrived at Hinds Plaza at noon on Saturday, April 5, spilling out onto the surrounding sidewalks and into Witherspoon Street, which was closed for the occasion.

“Hands Off!” was the mantra for the rally organized by Indivisible Princeton and Indivisible Cranbury as part of a nationwide day of peaceful protest with hundreds of demonstrations taking place in cities and towns across the country.

In chants and signs and a dozen speeches by representatives of a range of organizations, the message to President Trump, Elon Musk, and the federal government was to stop the destructive interference with health care, schools and colleges, libraries, DEI, immigrants, veterans benefits, civil rights, LGBTQ+ rights, national parks, free speech, and “hands off our democracy.”

“We refuse to let them make a mockery of our Constitution,” said State Sen. Andrew Zwicker (LD-16). “We refuse to let them go after freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of love…. We refuse to let them take people with different skin color, who were born in a different country, off the street without due process.”

He continued, “When the federal government under Trump and Musk fails to support our health care and protect our rights, states like New Jersey must step in. The message we’ve heard today is simple: protect our health care, support our schools, and fight for our freedoms. Together we’re telling Trump and Musk to keep their hands off our state.”

Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (CD-12), describing the Trump administration as “the most corrupt and incompetent administration in my lifetime,” emphasized the need for everyone to get involved to protect democracy. “We’re in a movement — a movement to take back our democracy, a movement to take back our country, a movement meant to stand up for those who need our support,” she said.

Other speakers included Indivisible Cranbury leader Laura Zurfluh, who emceed the event; Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA) Executive Director the Rev. Robert Moore; Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice (BRCSJ) Chief Activist Robt Martin Seda-Schreiber; Assemblywoman Mitchelle Drulis (LD-16); Assemblyman Roy Freiman (LD-16); ACLU-NJ Executive Director Amol Sinha; New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAIJ) Executive Director Amy Torres; Food and Water Watch (FWW) organizer John Aspray; Michael Embrich, veteran and former policy adviser to the U.S. Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs; and Gregory Stankiewicz, statewide coordinator for the New Jersey Institute for Community Schools.

Co-sponsors of the rally included NJAIJ, CFPA, BRCSJ, and FWW-NJ.

Calling for the Trump administration to stop interfering with funding for education and USAID, public health, and veterans’ benefits, Moore stated, “Donald Trump has been profoundly unconstitutional and lawless in his presidency…. They’re behaving like dictators and we’re saying hands off.”

Seda-Schreiber called for “all of our beautifully diverse communities … to act, work, and move forward together in meaningful fashion to create an intersectional tapestry to truly bind our nation together.”

Freiman and Drulis issued a statement declaring, “While the Trump administration continues to take hits on our most vulnerable community members —our seniors, veterans, members of the LGBTQ+ community, women, immigrants, and so many more — we will continue to represent all New Jersey families and fight for what is right.”

Sinha, claiming that Trump has been “going after universities that protect and defend free speech on campus, attacking lawyers he does not like, and punishing press outlets for not using government-mandated language,” stated, “He’s trying to silence those that disagree with him. That is not democracy.”

He concluded, “This is about patriotism. Dissent is patriotic. Free speech belongs to the people and we will not be silenced. Only with free speech can we claim to have a democracy. Hands off free speech. Hands off our democracy. The ACLU is with you.”

Focusing on current threats to education — public schools, community colleges, and universities — Stankiewicz proclaimed, “We pledge to protect our immigrant children, our trans kids, our children with disabilities, our kids who deserve the freedom to read and learn about the real history of the wonderful mosaic that makes up this great country.”

The large, diverse crowd, many carrying umbrellas and signs, came with many different concerns and priorities and from many different communities in the region and beyond.

“I’m here for about a million reasons,” said Heather Koshar, a teacher at Trenton Central High School. “I’m here to fight for democracy and for my students who are immigrants. I’m here for my daughter so that she can have the future that I dream of for her, instead of whatever it is we’re heading into now.”

“I’m here because I’m scared to death of what’s going on and I see our country declining,” said Jo Hogan from Medford.

“I’m here for a lot of reasons,” said Jane Lanahan from Cherry Hill. “The first is: Stop the grift. I don’t want the national parks sold off.”

A middle-aged couple mentioned their son, a young research chemist “playing the long game for the benefit of society” who is seeing research grants and jobs disappearing.

Andrea and Eli Bergman said they are approaching retirement and fearful that Social Security and Medicare may soon be gone.

“Most of us are here out of frustration that a government isn’t using all its powers to stop a man who is assuming he has more power than the government,” said Mike Cleckner from Raritan Township.

“The fate of the world — that’s why we’re here,” said Dara Sheller, a West Windsor-Plainsboro High School English teacher. “This administration is terrifying. We’re trying to fight back any way we can.”