On Apr. 5, over 1,400 local protests occurred across the United States, as thousands marched in defiance of the current administration’s policies. The protest, entitled Hands Off! had participants ranging from 20 to 100,000 based on location, and over 3,000 came out in support of the cause in front of the Nassau County courthouse in Mineola, NY.
Residents from all over Long Island attended with passion, holding signs and proudly chanting their gripes with President Donald Trump’s policies. Signs at the event reading, “Hands off Medicaid,” “Hands off Healthcare,” “Stop the Oligarchy,” “Save Democracy” and more floated above the angry crowd. Some signs even incorporated political jokes, such as “Text STOP if you no longer wish to receive messages from the war planning group.”
This comes only months after President Trump was inaugurated into the presidential office to serve his second term. Since taking office, Trump has signed 111 executive orders, including eliminating DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) Programs, removing the US from the WHO (World Health Organization), declaring a “National Energy Emergency” in order to allow for increased extraction of fossil fuels, establishing DOGE (the Department of Government Efficiency), designating English as the official language of the US, and much more. An executive order is an order issued by the President that carries the force and weight of a law, while circumventing the lengthy legislative process that passing a federal law in the United States typically requires.
Though it is common for presidents to issue these orders for the purpose of pushing their political agendas, many Americans are frustrated with Trump’s increased use of them. To compare, President Biden signed 162 executive orders throughout his four year term in office, while President Barack Obama signed 277 throughout his eight year term, and President George W. Bush signed 291 throughout his eight year term, according to the National Archives’ Federal Register. At this current pace, President Trump would sign over 1,700 orders in a four year period.
Many of the protestors who showed up at the Hands Off! event in Mineola on Saturday were not only concerned about the intent of these orders, but more about the action of bypassing Congress in order for the administration to establish these new policies under their agenda.
“These are all the things that are being attacked right now…Our constitution, our laws, and our democracy are being undermined by a lawless president and he’s given power to people who are also lawless and they are acting outside of what Congress has authorized – to actually tear down our federal government. And what that means is that we’re not going to have robust schools, libraries, research, or development. We are not going to have the protection of due process, our civil rights, or our civil liberties. Those are all the things that have made our country great. Without those things we’re going to be an authoritarian country. So that’s why I’ll never accept tyranny in the United States of America,” said Kim Keiserman, a Port Washington resident who ran for the State Senate to represent District 7 (includes Port Washington) in Nov. 2024.
President Trump has particularly focused on decreasing the power and size of the US Department of Education, stating that he believes education should be left to the states. On March 20, 2025, he signed an executive order that explicitly outlines a plan to close the Department of Education, which the Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, said will eliminate wasteful bureaucratic procedures and paperwork in a press release from the same day.
However, many teachers are worried by the closing of the Department of Education, citing the potential for a lack of resources and fear that education will become less accessible.
“I came to support and stand up for what’s right…I’m a teacher, so the Department of Education shutting down and the funding of public schools and the privatization of it… it’s really important to me to make sure that that’s fixed,” said Brian, a teacher from New Jersey who attended the protest.
Another significant priority of the Trump Administration is Medicaid and Medicare. Although the White House has released statements which claim they will not cut these programs, the Administration has limited their power on mechanisms such as drug pricing.
“[I came here for] a lot of reasons, but I’m concerned about potential cuts to Medicaid. I have an autistic son that depends on Medicaid for his daily needs so this directly affects me, but even if it didn’t, I think it’s a cruel administration and doing all the parts so that rich people can get tax breaks, I think is very unjust and wrong,” said protester Diana Osario of Merrick.
On April 2, 2025, which President Trump referred to as “Liberation Day,” Trump announced the signing of an executive order which implements tariffs against 60 nations which are believed by his administration to be engaging in unfair trade practices. Following the executive order, the stock market effectively plummeted, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping by almost 1,700 points and the S&P 500 reaching its lowest point since 2020.
“I’m 73 years old. I’ve seen this country go through a lot of turmoil. I don’t like when people tell me that I have to live under an autocratic ruler whose only goals are to make himself richer at the expense of, not only Americans, but people all over the world. Our freedoms are being eroded on many different fronts: politically, socially, economically. If we don’t start doing something and coalescing, the people who really care about this country, we are gonna be in very, very sad shape. And it’s not just the stock market over the last two days. There’s a pervasive sickness in this country that needs to be, if not eradicated, at least dealt with, so that we can understand what ails us and we can correct it,” said protester Tom Holland of Merrick.
The protest amassed hundreds of participants, many of whom felt discouraged by President Trump’s allegiance to and alliance with Tesla CEO and DOGE head Elon Musk, and disappointed with his recent policy changes. The protest at the Nassau County Courthouse was one of many on Long Island, with others occurring at Sag Harbor, Port Jefferson Station in Suffolk County, and Patchogue.
“I’ve been [protesting] since I was 12 years old, and I will never stop. We have to believe that we can still be effective…We were told by our local group that we belong to, that they expected 1,300 people to be here, and then I think on Channel 14 this morning, I heard them say no it will probably be more like 1,400 people. I would venture between four and five thousand people here – and in spite of the rain. That’s how important this is to these people,” said 73-year-old Susan Holland, a retired special education teacher.
So why did you come out today?
A lot of reasons but I’m concerned about potential pets to Medicaid. I have an autistic son that depends on Medicaid for his daily needs so this directly affects me, but even if it didn’t, I think it’s a cruel administration and doing all the parts so that rich people can get tax breaks, I think is very unjust and wrong.
– Diana Osario, 57y/o, Merrick, NY
I’m here because the president is taking our democracy away from us. It’s not right it’s not justice. We want justice for the future.
- Dora Corriel, 66y/o, Merrick, NY
I feel like we should take a stand towards facism. I feel like the country is taking a step towards facism and I think we should stop it
- Tim, 15 y/o
We’re terrified about what’s happening in the country and we feel like we have to do something even if it’s just showing up and speaking out
- Jamie, 45 y/o
Chant: Show me what democracy looks like, this is what democracy looks like
Hey hey, ho ho, Elon Musk has got to go
These are all the things that are being attacked right now. All of these things on this list are the things that actually make America great. Our constitution, our laws, and our democracy are being undermined by a lawless president and he’s given power to people who are also lawless and they are acting outside of what Congress has authorized – to actually tear down our federal government. And what that means is that we’re not going to have robust schools and libraries and research and development and we are not going to have the protection of due process and our civil rights and our civil liberties and those are all the things that have made our country great. Without those things we’re going to be an authoritarian country. So that’s why I’ll never accept your knee in the United States of America.
- Kim Keiserman, Port Washington, ran for the State Senate to represent District 7 (includes Port Washington) as a democrat, lost the race to Republican (incumbent) Jack Martins
“We feel strongly about whats going on in Washington and maintaining the rights of everybody in this country – including republicans, not just democrats. I wanted to bring my daughter here today to make sure that she understands how important it is for everyone to be equal and everyone to have their Social Security and to have their civil rights and not be deported and have proper legal due process…” – Stacy Mellus
“I don’t really think Donald Trump is being fair and I think we deserve freedom and justice” – Kiera Mellus
“…what’s going on with this oligarchical power grab is out of control and the power of the people needs to speak up. Hands off our education, hands off of LGBTQ rights, social security data…
Everyone is being impacted by this, regardless of if you voted for this or not, and the only ones benefiting are millionaires. “
- Ester, 32 y/o from Plainview
“I came to support and stand up for what’s right, because a lot of things are going – I’m a teacher so the Department of Education shutting down and the funding of public schools and the privatization of it… it’s really important to me to make sure that that’s fixed” – Brian, teacher from New Jersey
“It is so frightening what is happening. I’m terrified for my kids, for my hopefully my future grandkids, but I’m terrified for what they’re doing for the country, the environment, I worry every day about the Ukraine situation. I want him [Trump] gone. And, I lost a lot of money in my 401K in the last two days… This man [Trump] is destroying everything. He’s destroying everything. It is so frightening. It keeps me up at night. I’m not even sleeping. It’s scary. What is happening in this country is truly frightening. I worry every day. I worry every single day,”
– Linda Sheldon, 62 y/o, works for DDI (Developmental Disabilities Institute) “with a young autistic man and we’re very worried about his funding as well”
“[I came out today] for everything. For our basic human rights, for – I’m also a teacher, so education – just the future of the country…. What’s happening on a global scale really concerns me too, so… I’m just here for everybody and everything,” – Eva Sheldon
“I have daughters and I believe we need to leave them the same kind of world that we grew up in, where America stood for something, stood up for people and stood up for democracy, and a country you can be proud of. I want to see if we can try and save that for you guys,” – Dave Chapman, Port Washington resident and Schreiber parent, had a megaphone at the event.
“I’m 73 years old. I’ve seen this country go through a lot of turmoil. I don’t like when people tell me that I have to live under an autocratic ruler whose only goals are to make himself richer at the expense of, not only Americans, but people all over the world. Our freedoms are being eroded on many different fronts: politically, socially, economically. If we don’t start doing something and coalescing, the people who really care about this country, we are gonna be in very, very sad shape. And it’s not just the stock market over the last two days. There’s a pervasive sickness in this country that needs to be, if not eradicated, at least dealt with, so that we can understand what ails us and we can correct it… I don’t want my last couple of years to be ones of hurt, shame, and aggravation, and that’s why it’s important, that’s why I’m here today. Because even just coming here, and seeing all the people that are like minded gives you a sense of hope, no matter how small it is…. [using our voice is] not only for us, it’s our legacy.. It’s our legacy for people like you.. It’s everything, it touches every aspect of our lives. You know, everything is so intertwined in this country, when you have a free market society, like we have had up until now, everything is intertwined. It’s not just one thing that gets touched. Everything gets touched, because we are a network, and what makes us so strong is also our weaknesses, because we’re such an open market, we let everybody in. And we’ve got to remember that within that basic tenant that we give to people, you know, you’re gonna have people who are on the fringe, so that’s just normal. That’s just normal.” Tom Holland, 73, Merrick, New York, retired healthcare industry worker.
“I’ve been [protesting] since I was 12 years old, and I will never stop. We have to believe that we can still be effective… We were told by our local group that we belong to, that they expected 1300 people to be here, and then I think on channel 14 this morning, I heard them say no it will probably be more like 1400 people. I would venture between four and five thousand people here – and in spite of the rain. That’s how important this is to these people,” – Susan Holland, 73 y/o, retired special education teacher.
“[I came here today] to get Donald Trump to stop doing what he’s doing and to protect our kids, and to keep education funded.” – Scott Caulfeild, South Hempstead
“[I came here today] to shine a light on the lack of humanity in this administration; that they don’t care about actual people, they care about money going to their friends…. [The American flag] should be a symbol of true democracy as opposed to…the schism – like its “us against them.” when you see divisiveness…it should be a universal symbol of our country” – Laurie, Lynbrook
“[I came here today] to let people know that a lot of their services are being taken away. The libraries, Social Security offices, food pantries, where many people on lower budgets go to supplement their food and to put on the table for their families. Cuts are being made in our farm-to-school programs, a lot of nutrition programs which protect the health of our communities.” – Anastasia, dietician, in her 60s. – East Rockaway
“I came out here today for equality and for rights – for my childhood and my future,” – Gianna, 10 y/o, Wantagh, w/ her 9 y/o friend Lillian who didn’t want to be recorded
“You asked about conflict within the Jewish organizations: I had a personal conflict because today is the Sabbath, and I usually do not travel on the Sabbath, but I felt this was important because what Judaism is about, if anything, it’s about treating all people with dignity and with honor, uh and all people are created in God’s image. And Trump, just like the Pharaoh 3000 years ago, when he enslaved the Jewish people, is trying to be a tyrant and take away rights and dignity from people,” said Jeffery Amer from Syosset, a pediatrician, Was holding a sign with hebrew letters and a quote from Elie Weisel and was wearing a yarmulke so I wanted to ask him what he thought about Judaism and conflict within the Jewish community based on Israel
“I think [the protest] was a great success. I’m not one of the organizers, but I was invited to speak, because of all the firings of federal workers. So, the issue is that, you know, workers in with unions are losing their jobs for no reason. And as if that’s not bad enough, 280,000 workers – thats a lot of workers. These are the people who do things like keep our water supply clean and safe, make sure that drugs are tested before we get them, protect our national parks, keep our seniors in touch with their social security services, provide services to the disabled, and so on, so it’s not just these workers but it’s all these services that we pay for in a democracy, that our government should provide for us and they’re all under attack. And I thought that was wrong, and when they asked me if I wanted to speak about it… I said absolutely that I wanted to, because I think it’s important that we stand up for these workers because they’re standing up for us by saying, you know, it’s not just our jobs, that we’re losing, but it’s all these services that we provide for the public and we need to stick together, stand up for each other and stand up for our democracy and our government.”
– Mary Anne Trasciatti; Long Beach, teaches labor studies at Hofstra University
“I’m angry, I feel like this is terrible, it’s embarrassing. Our country used to be so respected and we’re not respected anymore. I have family in Europe that just can’t believe what’s going on. Coming here is a sense of pride. Just like the Vietnam War, I was a teenager for that and I protested during that,” – Gail Bennington.
“What Trump and Musk are doing right now is sliding the United States into facism – has been for a while – and this is eroding people’s freedoms. I’m especially concerned with the crackdowns on protests, making sure that we have the right to keep doing things like this, to speak out against government, beyond also just people’s safety, you know, protecting our clean drinking water, protecting health, protecting people’s health care, protecting scientific research that’s being cut right now. Just things that affect every facet of every one of our lives are being eroded. and we need to work on that” – Molly
“The fraud is them, but they’re not eliminating fraud, they’re perpetuating fraud in our government and basically just funneling money from our government, from the things that are for us, for the people, um in order to give tax breaks to the super rich. The super rich just had to become more greedy, and it’s a power grab. It’s all related to citizens United and the power grab, funneling money into basically forming oligarchs” – Mary
“I’m here because everything that’s happening in this country today is a hundred percent wrong, and the people have to stand up. When I was your age I was involved in protests against the Vietnam War that worked. I hope the protests will just continue to grow and grow until they force change in this country back to where it should be.” – Judith from Queens
“We came out to protest how Trump is turning our democracy upside down, and the illegal deportation of people who we don’t even know if they’re citizens or what they’ve been found guilty of other than being Latino or having tattoos, and now they’re being illegally renditioned to a third country that they didn’t even come from. People are being abducted from the streets. It’s really scary stuff, so being here helps you feel connected, gets you off your phone, gets you out of the algorithm. It makes your spirits to see like minded people… It’s a good thing to see older people. I see people in walkers, with their canes… I’m really actually happy to see the age of the people here. Especially recently in our politics, it seems like older folks have been the problem. Whether that be our candidates or the folks in Congress or even just local politics. So it’s good to see that that isn’t always the case… and imploding the economy doesn’t help. The last few days have been kinda rough.” – Ken from Queens
“It’s really nice to be around people who feel the same as you don’t feel as alone as you do day to day… Also specifically DOGE. We’re here because of DOGE and the illegal things that they’re doing, the people they’re firing unlawfully. Musk is a big problem – as big as Trump – Social Security, Medicaid, The Affordable Care Act, all those things need to stay in place and they’re important,” Michal from Oceanside
“I just feel like I am ashamed to be American right now, and I’m scared to live here. I’m scared for my nephew and for my sister and for my friends who are people of color and who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. And I’m here to also, feel like we’re less alone and to do something, because it normally feels like we are helpless in the situation” – Fila, 28 y/o
“I’m out here because I’m horrified at what’s happening to our country and I want to make it known that Long Island is not supporting this administration and that there’s a lot of people out here…I feel like a lot of people are starting to think that Long Island is turning red but…” – Vanessa from Babylon
“I am here to protest creeping authoritarianism, anti-constitutionalism, and to try to stand with my fellow Americans to try and essentially restore constitutional governance, which, you know, with the Republican Congress abdicating all of its constitutional responsibilities, someone has to stand up, and it’s gonna be us,” – Nick Razowski, lawyer, Valley Stream