Marches Target Federal Layoffs, Program Cuts, and Attacks on Civil Rights
Demonstrators filled city streets across Southern California on Saturday, joining a nationwide wave of protest against the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to federal programs, mass layoffs, aggressive policy rollbacks, and Elon Musk’s DOGE initiative. While Trump’s actions have raised the ire of many Americans, Elon Musk rivals the president as the target of widespread anger, distrust, and disdain.
Kicking off in Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles, thousands rallied in the early afternoon before marching to City Hall, where the crowd grew and overflowed into Grand Park for a packed sunset rally. Organizers estimate the local turnout reached into the tens of thousands, with participants calling on lawmakers to protect essential public services and marginalized communities.
At the Culver City rally, it was estimated that between 2,000 and 2,500 Westside residents were pre. Culverlver City Crossroads quoted the organizer as saying she was looking at the “Hands Off” website map for rally locations. The concerned citizens saw that “nothing was scheduled for the Westside… smaller cities had events, so I thought, ok, let’s get the process started.”
The Southern California demonstrations were part of a broader national campaign known as “Hands Off!”, a coordinated protest effort involving more than 1,200 events across the U.S. Led by a coalition of over 150 organizations—including civil rights groups, labor unions, LGBTQ+ advocates, veterans’ groups, and election reform activists—the protests drew support from a wide range of political and social justice movements. The next “Hands Off” protest is planned for April 19, but the Tesla Takedown protests are ongoing every weekend.
More than 500,000 people nationwide reportedly RSVP’d for the protests, organized by Hands Off!, Indivisible, and MoveOn groups.
In addition to DTLA and Culver City, demonstrations were also held in areas not typically associated with progressive activism, including Huntington Beach, highlighting the opposition’s growing geographic reach.
Protesters voiced outrage over recent federal actions, including the termination of thousands of federal employees, closures of Social Security field offices, and proposals to eliminate entire federal agencies. Demonstrators also condemned efforts to deport undocumented immigrants, roll back transgender protections, and slash funding for public health programs.
Speakers at the rallies called for solidarity in the face of what they described as an administration targeting vulnerable populations and undermining the government’s role in serving the throughout the day signs Signs bearing slogans like “Hands Off Our Healthcare,” “Protect Federal Workers,” and “Trans Rights Are Human Rights” were the day.
Organizers said Saturday’s demonstrations are just the beginning of a broader campaign to pressure lawmakers at every level of government to reject the administration’s proposed cuts and layoffs.
