ITHACA, N.Y. — Thousands of protesters marched through Ithaca Saturday to condemn the headspinning changes that have marked the first months of the second Trump administration. The rally is part of the nationwide “Hands Off” movement, which saw millions across the country participating in similar, simultaneous demonstrations.

Attendees and organizers estimated that about 3,000 people attended the rally, braving light rain and cool temperatures.The event began downtown, where the dense crowd stretched from the Bernie Milton Pavilion back to the main thoroughfare of the Commons.

The local turnout was on a similar scale to the January 2017 Women’s March on the Commons at the start of President Donald Trump’s first term. That rally was also part of a national movement.

Chants of “no compliance, no contrition” and “Show me what democracy looks like,” rang out from the crowd, who criticized both Trump as well as senior Trump advisor Elon Musk. Many carried homemade signs. Some called for the deportation Musk, who holds citizenship in the U.S., South Africa and Canada, with another attendee carrying a large effigy of a bald eagle. 

Jefra Ruesink, who helped organize the protest with non-profit Indivisible Tompkins, said it was a rebuke of the narrative that the presidential election had deflated progressive resistance efforts, particularly in heavily liberal places like Ithaca. 

“Back in November and December and January, I kept reading, ‘People are defeated, people are exhausted, people are not coming together,’ and I knew that wasn’t true,” Ruesink said. “It wasn’t true for me. It wasn’t true for people I knew. We were pissed and we were looking for a way to come together.”

The crowd heard from about 10 speakers, who covered issues ranging from immigrants’ rights, LGBTQ rights, women’s rights, academic freedom, climate change, veterans affairs and more. 

Ana Ortiz, leader of Ithaca-based not-for-profit No Más Lágrimas, spoke about new challenges facing immigrants — both those in the country legally and otherwise. Ortiz also noted that immigration crackdowns have an adverse effect on regional farm workers. 

Risa Lieberwitz, president of the Cornell chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said recent actions by the Trump administration posed a threat to academic freedom. Lieberwitz also said the administration’s threats to impose sweeping research funding cuts could hamstring academia and opposed censorship on college campuses. 

St. James AME Zion Reverend Terrance King addressed attendees gathered at the church. King spoke about the importance of community activism and urged community members to unite with their neighbors in times of crisis.

The crowd heard from speakers on the Commons for about an hour, after which it marched west down the sidewalks along State Street, made a detour to pass the Southside Community Center and St. James AME Zion church before continuing to Route 13. 

The crowd then lined the busy road, where they were largely greeted with honks of support from passing motorists. Organizers in a minivan parked nearby led chants with the aid of a loudspeaker. 

Ruesink said the event was much larger than organizers had planned. She said organizers had taken extensive safety precautions, like deploying a small “safety team” of experienced organizers to help guide the march and monitor the crowd. 

Other than marching down a portion of West State Street near the Commons, protesters did not block the roadway during the event. A few Ithaca Police Department officers monitored the event nearby, but did not get involved. 

Ruesink said Indivisible’s events will continue, with weekly honk-and-wave rallies on Meadow Street every Wednesday from 5 – 6 p.m. and a weekly “Rally for Democracy” held every Saturday from 12 – 2 p.m. on the Commons.

“In the first Trump administration, there was such a focus on mass demonstrations, like getting a million people to D.C.,” Ruesink said. “This time we’re focusing on getting a surprising number of people in a surprising number of places with a surprising level of persistence. And I think Saturday was both the culmination and the beginning of that strategy.”

All pictures taken by Casey Martin for The Ithaca Voice.

Correction: A portion of the march took place in the road on West State Street, while otherwise protesters did not block the road.