More than a thousand people gathered in front of Alameda City Hall at noon on Saturday, April 5, to protest against President Donald Trump and the policies of his current administration. After hearing a series of speakers, the crowd marched down Park Street, hoisting homemade signs and chanting as they walked.
The protest, officially entitled Remove! Reverse! Reclaim!, was organized by activist group Indivisible with support from All Rise Alameda, EB-FLOW, and Get Visible. The demonstration aligned with a National Day of Action led by the 50501 political action group to give a “response to the anti-democratic and illegal actions of the Trump administration and its plutocratic allies,” according to the 50501 website. “Hands Off” demonstrations took place in more than 1,400 cities and drew at least 3 million people, according to national news reports.
Indivisible organizer Tina Davis said it was important for Alameda to have its own representation in the nationwide protests and rally together surrounding communities.
“I’ve been mostly going to other cities to protest, but I decided this year that Alameda needed its own voice,” Davis told the Alameda Post. “This administration is hamfistedly trying to dismantle the government. Being a registered nurse, my number one priority is healthcare. I think that we need better healthcare, but they’re trying to dismantle what healthcare we even have.”
Healthcare, LGBTQ+ rights, climate justice and education were some of the topics represented through both signage and speech at the demonstration, with the overarching message matching the theme of the protests nationwide—“Hands Off!”
To open the protest, Catherine Egelhoff of All Rise Alameda read a statement given to All Rise by 12th District U.S. Congressional Representative Lateefah Simon.“ I will keep fighting back against President Trump and Elon Musk, and keep fighting back against their unconstitutional and undemocratic actions,” Simon said in her statement. “We are not alone. We will persevere in this fight for our democracy together.”
Video and photos from the April 5 rally, including speakers, singers, and marching. Video / photos by Adam Gillitt, Richard Bangert, Stephanie Penn, Hans Dieter Siebert.
Successive speakers read out their own statements and poetry, including Alameda Poet Laureate Kim Sugioka reading a poem and singing an original song called “Trouble.”
Mary Claire Blakeman-Neumann, chair of All Rise Alameda, addressed the crowd and emphasized the importance of community action. “The universities have caved, the law firms have caved, you haven’t caved,” she said. “Thank you for showing up and showing out, for caring about our future and our country.”
Blakeman-Neumann told the Post that Alameda and Bay Area residents keeping engaged with local activism is crucial to enacting change.
“Today is great, tomorrow is even more important,” she said. “Building long-term relationships is what’s most important for grassroots change, and it starts at events like these.”
The nationwide April 5 protests marked the largest day of public demonstration against Trump thus far in his second term, according to Newsweek. 50501’s next day of action is planned for April 19, though no upcoming Alameda demonstrations have been announced by Indivisible. The Alameda Post will continue reporting on protests as they occur.
Sindhu Ananthavel is a contributing writer to the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Sindhu-Ananthavel.
