Anti-Trump Rally Draws More Than A Thousand To Hastings

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Protesting Trump cuts, a record number of rivertown residents turn out at Hastings rally

April 7, 2025

By Jeff Wilson–

They were mad as hell and they wanted President Trump to feel it.

One of some 1,400 “Hands Off!” protests held simultaneously nationwide on Saturday, April 5, the rally in Hastings-on-Hudson more than surpassed the expectations of organizers..

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The grounds in front of the Veterans of Foreign Wars building on Warburton Avenue—as well as the sidewalk across the street—were packed with an estimated 1,500 impassioned demonstrators – many carrying signs, many of them seniors, sharing the sentiments of the Hands Off! platform: an end to the “billionaire takeover” of the federal government; no cuts to Social Security or Medicare; and equal rights for “marginalized” groups such as immigrants and transgender people.

The national Hands Off! protests were organized by a consortium of nearly 200 advocacy groups under the auspices of the liberal activist group Indivisible. The Hastings’ protest was hosted by Concerned Families of Westchester (CFOW), a local organization founded as a discussion group the day after 9/11.

CFOW’s Hands Off! protest was very hands-on in that it featured an open mic. After a few remarks by a handful of scheduled speakers, attendees were able to sign up to take turns making one-minute speeches. Many offered variations of the “Hands-off” template, leading chants such as “Hands off our democracy… healthcare…our freedom…American justice…free speech…” etc. Others advocated for civic involvement: “Sign up for your local school board! Defend free expression.”

The rally was reminiscent of progressive demonstrations going back decades. One speaker led the crowd in a song that evoked the women’s suffrage rallies of 100 years ago: “If they try to shut us up, we’re gonna shut ‘em down/We’re gonna roll the movement on/ “We’re gonna roll right over you.”

A huge boost to the already spirited event came from folk guitarist Steve Siegelbaum, a CFOW member and Pete Seeger protege, who along with other musicians accompanied the Clearwater Walkabout Chorus in renditions of “This Little Light of Mine” and “We Shall Overcome.”

Plans to end the rally with a march to the post office (another target of proposed budget cuts) were nixed by the Hastings Police, according to CFOW photographer Susan Rutman, on grounds that the crowd was too big.

Frank Brodhead, the CFOW ‘s coordinator and a founder, spoke about how the rally, which they’d expected to draw about 500 people, came to be. CFOW, whose prior experience with protests had mainly been restricted to groups of about ten demonstrators on Saturdays, reached out to the organizers of the Hands Off! website, volunteering to host one of the April 5 protests. Hands Off! in turn connected them with other potential protesters with whom they could share details of the event. In a short time, CFOW had hundreds on its mailing list–just a start for the crowd that would emerge on Saturday.

“Trump’s cuts, and now the tariffs’ impact on the stock market have mobilized millions of people from very different walks of life,” said Broadhead. “For different reasons, they’re terrified of what he’s doing.”

“In a way, Trump and Musk are creating a movement that we could achieve only with great difficulty,” observed Broadhead.” They’re our best organizers.”

For more information about CFOW, , go to fbrodhead@aol.com.

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