Over 3,000 community members came together at Centennial Park on April 5 at 12:00 p.m. CDT as part of the Hands Off!, Nashville Fights Back Mass Mobilization nationwide protest, against President Donald Trump and head of the Department of Government Efficiency Elon Musk. Protestors rallied against Trump’s administrative policies, as well as healthcare and social security benefits, federal funding cuts and immigration, among others.
At approximately 1:45 p.m. CDT, protesters lined up along West End Ave at the entrance of Centennial Park as the speakers were completing their portion of the protest. Speakers included organizers from Indivisible and United Volunteers of Tennessee and community volunteers. This rally came after a similar 50501 protest at the Tennessee State Capitol and march along Broadway on Feb. 5.
According to their website, the Hands Off! movement was formed to gather community members from across the country to demand the current administration to be “hands off” from programs and issues the protestors believe should remain free from government control.
Protestors carried signs demonstrating their frustration with the Trump administration and desire for change, with phrases including “hands off Medicaid,” “hands off free speech” and “pro-America, anti-Trump, defend democracy,” among others.
In an interview with The Hustler, Sanyiah Cathcart — an organizer of the Nashville Hands Off! protest and a member of Indivisible — described how the protest was advertised. It was first published on the Mobilize website, followed by a Discord server, social media and finally spread by word of mouth.
Cathcart also shared her goals going into the midterm election cycle, mainly focused on mobilizing communities and encouraging people to exercise their civic duty.
“[Hands Off!] and [Indivisible] are really focused on the upcoming [midterm] elections for next year and getting [candidates] into play so that they can get into office,” Cathcart said. “We [need] to be at the polls — that means all the young people too who can vote.”
Cathcart said she encourages students to mobilize and urges them to create their own projects on and off campus. Cathcart said she agrees protesting is difficult, but she believes it will help mobilize students nationwide.
“I know on campus, it’s probably hard, especially since [diversity, equity and inclusion] stuff has happened. But just getting involved and learning about [legislative] bills, learning who [is running] for office, pushing your friends to vote and [making] sure they [are] registered to vote [is important],” Cathcart said.
Cathcart said she believes community members should remain peaceful in their protests but should continue to use their own voices to express their concerns.
“We get a lot of hate [and threats] on Facebook. We have whole pages dedicated to try to stop us from [protesting],” Cathcart sard. “We’re like, ‘oh, well, we’re showing up.’ [You] need to show up.”
As protestors lined up on West End Avenue off of 28th Avenue South, hundreds more joined, marching along both sides of the road. Protestors chanted “the people united will never be divided” and “no Nazis, no KKK, no fascist USA.” Several cars honked at the protestors, some with their own signs in support and others as a sign of pushback.
Another primary concern addressed in one of the protest organizers’ speeches was immigration and the Hispanic/Latino community. Issues discussed included birthright citizenship and Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence on American campuses, among others.
Student reactions
In a message to The Hustler, sophomore Cynthia McGowan Gutierrez, president of the Mexican American Student Association, provided a statement on behalf of the executive board about the issues addressed during the protest.
“MASA at Vanderbilt University would like to acknowledge the nationwide protests titled ‘HandsOff!’ As an organization, we understand the current policies endorsed by the administration regarding immigration and the defunding of research education,” the MASA executive board said. “We understand these policies are directly and inherently meant to instill fear and disrupt our community as a whole. MASA is committed to supporting those affected and educating and mobilizing our broader community on these policies.”
Junior Noah Jenkins, chairman of the Tennessee College Republicans and president of the Vanderbilt College Republicans, spoke on behalf of VCR in a previous message to The Hustler that he echoed in response to a request for comment about the Hands Off! protest.
“While the Vanderbilt College Republicans respect the protesters’ right to criticize the current administration, we continue to stand alongside the president and the majority of Americans who voted in support of his vision for our nation,” Jenkins said.
Senior Andrew Kyung, president of the Vanderbilt College Democrats, said he stands alongside the community in their choice to protest against the Trump administration. Kyung said VCD fully supports what he views as a call to reject policies from the Trump administration.
“The nationwide outcry over threats to Medicaid, assaults on free speech, sweeping federal worker cuts and now reckless economic policy reflects a broad and urgent rebuke of the current administration,” Kyung said. “In any case, VCD stands in unwavering support of this movement, with many of our members actively engaged in the effort.”
