Honking, chanting, and even some cowbells filled the air downtown Saturday as thousands crowded sidewalks as part of a nationwide Hands Off! protest against President Donald Trump’s administration.
“It’s very important for people to speak out about what’s happening in D.C.,” said Pat Levitin, one of the Greensboro protest’s organizers. “We had to have a national protest so that our Congress will take back their powers.”
Describing itself as a grassroots movement, “Hands Off!” organized more than 1,200 demonstrations in all 50 states and a handful of countries in a non-violent “national day of action.” The Greensboro Police Department and city officials estimated the crowd at around 2,000 at its height.
Concerns about Social Security, Medicaid, veterans services, LGBTQ rights, and other issues drove many to rally even as temperatures climbed into the 80s. In Greensboro, more than 1,200 people RSVP’d and more planned to watch online, organizers said.
Levitin is active in local and national politics. She chaired the constituency group “Women for Stein” in N.C.’s 2024 governor race and helped organize a town hall in Greensboro to address the actions of Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) last month.
“If all I fear comes to pass—theft of our Social Security, Medicare and earned benefits and military pensions—then for the first time in our lives, people like me will not be able to support ourselves.”
Portia McKraken
Frustrations with Congress’ apparent refusal to push back on Trump’s sweeping and unprecedented actions, from deportations and anti-DEI presidential orders to mass federal layoffs and controversial tariffs, compelled many to speak out.
Dori Block, a 77-year-old Greensboro native, was there with her daughter, who said she and her sisters had been at protests “since they were in diapers.”
Several protestors asked not to be identified for fear of reprisal, including from their employers.
“We’re hoping it will empower Congress and the rest of the system to stand up to him [Trump],” Block said. “Because right now it looks like they’re just rolling over for him and whatever he wants.”
Colorful signs called out both Trump and Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The lines of protestors chanting variations of “hands off” and “stop the steal” spanned nearly three blocks on both sides of South Elm-Eugene Street. Cars honked encouragement as they drove past.
On the steps of the Old Guilford County Courthouse, tucked behind the protest’s front lines, 15 local activists spoke on a range of issues from social justice and education to immigration and healthcare.
The speaker lineup was broken up by three performances from Greensboro’s chapter of the Raging Grannies, a national protest movement spearheaded by older women. The Grannies promote “peace, justice, and social and economic equality” through song and humor, according to their website.
Portia McKraken, 82, retired in 1993 as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force. She took the microphone to voice her fear of losing the benefits she earned from a life in service.
“Today, like many of you, my entire income consists of earned benefits from my working life,” McCraken said. “For me, as a veteran, that means Social Security, a small VA medical compensation, and the Air Force retirement pension I was privileged to have earned during my 20 years of service.”
She worries DOGE cuts will impact the military retirement pension program.
“If all I fear comes to pass—theft of our Social Security, Medicare and earned benefits and military pensions—then for the first time in our lives, people like me will not be able to support ourselves,” McCraken said.
Activist Nicky Boyte recently moved to Greensboro to start a chapter of ADAPT, a national disability rights group. She was proud of her new city.
“I’ve been to a lot of rallies, and this was really a good one,” Boyte said. “People got up and did something on their Saturday. We felt united and powerful. So, do I think we have hope? Yes — because of today.”
Rev. Julie Peeples closed with a message of encouragement before demonstrators marched to Greensboro’s International Civil Rights Center and Museum to end the protest.
“Friends, we were not made to live in fear and dread,” she said. “So stand together in the days to come… and we are going to keep on shouting—here and across the country— hands off!”
Aria Heyneman is a student at Wake Forest University studying journalism and is a freelance writer.
