Arlington residents packed East Abram Street on Saturday for the second Hands Off! protest this month.
Rallying in opposition to President Donald Trump’s administration and its policies, the movement saw over 1,200 demonstrations across Texas and nationwide April 5, according to the Associated Press.
Carol Raburn, Progressive Women of Arlington president, said while this demonstration was smaller than the first, the outcome still gives her hope.
“I come home, I’m tired, I can’t talk cause I’ve been talking and yelling,” Raburn said. “I feel like we have a chance to stop this.”
The Hands Off! movement protests more than just Social Security for the older generation, she said. Veterans, individuals on Medicaid, people losing food stamps and children losing school meals – this is their outlet to express concern.
“As capitulation is contagious, like the law firms that started falling and bowing to Trump once, so is courage,” Arlington resident Kim Martinez, 56, said. “Courage is also contagious.”
This is not Martinez’s first protest, having been in demonstrations like this since the late ’80s, she said. Generational activism is important, especially for the youth, but also for older groups who, she said, have to take the blame for this.
“We have to help fix it now. We have to get young people out to help us fix it,” she said. “We need to fix it for them as much as we can; it’s pretty messy.”
Chants from the crowd were met with many affirming honks and waves from passerby, with only a few showing their opposition to the protest.
“It’s really important for everyone to raise their voice. Every single person has got to do it right now. Now is the time,” Martinez said. “We have met the Constitutional crisis, it is on us, so stand up.”
Arlington resident Carl Wilkerson, 62, donned a pink bunny suit as he held a sign reading ‘Nope,’ with Trump’s face as the ‘o.’ He’s held on to it since his first presidential run in 2016.
He said their peaceful protest aimed to show passersby and the surrounding areas that the current administration does not have America’s interests first.
Some demonstrators also felt strongly about recent Texas legislation.
Early Thursday morning, the Texas House passed its version of Senate Bill 2, which aims to put $1 billion in taxpayer dollars toward education savings accounts that families could use for private school tuition and other school-related expenses, according to The Texas Tribune.
The bill would tie the voucher program’s per-student dollars to public education funding, so the amount available to individuals would increase when public schools receive more money and dip when funding declines.
Wilkerson said these efforts will reduce public school funding and education, only benefiting those sending their children to private schools.
“I disapprove of using my tax money to benefit people who want to send their kids to private education,” he said. “If they want to do it and pay it on their own nickel, that’s great. But don’t use my money to pay for it.”
Arlington residents Katie Duzan, 42, and Whitney Rodrigue, 40, having rallied at the first Hands Off protest, came to stand up for public education and women’s rights.
Having been an educator for 17 years, Rodrigue said this is something they’ve never seen before. A small rally like this could make a big difference in a House district seat, and continuing to show up sends a larger message, she said.
Both being parents, Duzan said the millions of students in public education need more support and priority from the Texas Legislature.
“That’s the future of our commerce and our cities. It’s our future,” she said. “It’s important to educate our kids.”
Raburn said hosting events like these can be touch-and-go. If one person calls on groups to protest, many organizers answer the call. She doubts this will be the last one.
“People see this, they notice. If you’re paying attention and they see us, see this many people unhappy for a variety of reasons, they should be scared and nervous about getting reelected,” she said.
@hjgarcia0
