April 4, 2025 / 9:49 AM CDT / CBS Chicago
Hundreds of “Hands Off” protests will be held around the country on Saturday, April 5, including protests in Chicago, dozens of suburbs, and across the state of Illinois.
The main Chicago protest will be held downtown in Daley Plaza. There will also be a protest at the Illinois capital in Springfield.
Hands Off protests target Trump administration policies, Elon Musk cuts
Organizers call the protests a “critical all-in moment for the pro-democracy, pro-worker movement to forcefully reject Trump-Musk’s corrupt and illegal power grab.”
Organizers specifically name threats voting rights, slashed funding for Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security and more for tax cuts, and other programs working and middle class Americans rely on.
“Enough is enough. It is time for all of us in Chicago to rise up and fight back for what we believe in,” organizers said.
Musk and his “department of government efficiency,” known as DOGE, has led the Trump administration’s effort to drastically slash the size of the federal government. Tens of thousands of probationary workers lost their jobs in mass firings since the president took office, though the courts have in many cases found the cuts to be illegal. More than 24,000 workers at 18 federal agencies were ordered to be re-hired in March.
Even more federal workers have been left in limbo as to whether or not they will get their jobs back, whether they have been fired or just placed on leave, and wondering about what comes next. Many of the cuts have targeted agencies like the Department of Education, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the National Weather Service.
President Trump has also slashed billions in federal funding for research, grants, and domestic and international aid programs.
The Chicago protest is organized by Indivisible Chicago, partnering with the Chicago Federation of Labor, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Equality Illinois, Sierra Club, Personal PAC and many other smaller organizations.
Chicago protest
Protesters can start gathering in Daley Plaza at 50 W. Washington Street around 11:30 a.m. Saturday. The protest and march will be held from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
There is also a South Side protest at Western Avenue and 103rd Street in West Beverly from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Suburban protests
Dozens of Hands Off protests are planned in Chicago suburbs and around the state, including in Oak Park, Rockford, Evanston, Elgin, Arlington Heights, DeKalb, Palatine, Joliet, Lisle, Highland Park, Geneva and more.
Protests are also planned in Northwest Indiana, including in Michigan City and Highland.
Hands Off protest locations nationwide
There are more than 1,000 Hands Off protests planned in all 50 states. You can see a full list of planned actions and more information by clicking here.
