Hundreds of people gathered on the Downtown Gainesville Square Saturday as a part of a nationwide protest against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
The “Hands Off” protest in the city was one of 18 held in Georgia in tandem with a number of organizations, including the Hall County chapter for Indivisible and MoveOn and local Democratic groups. One protestor, Reverend Dallas Thompson, explained the protest aimed to speak out against government involvement in a variety of social issues.
“The overall message is that it's the Hands Off protest,” Thompson explained. “What do people have their hands on in our government that they have no business having their hands on? What are they doing to our most vulnerable populations that are only harming our country, not making it stronger, like they say that they are? A lot of the reason some of us are here is because we care about the most vulnerable.”
Some signs held by protesters conveyed messages against Trump's immigration policies, in support of public parks and libraries, and against the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Marilyn Langford, who helped organize the protest at the local level, was also involved with two protests in early March against the potential closure of the Social Security Administration’s Office in Gainesville. Langford said groups expected roughly 500 people to take to the square in support of the message Saturday .
“Don't underestimate the people in rural Georgia in the mountains,” Langford said. “They're coming, you talk to people here, they're from all over. They're emptying out the mountains to come down here to make their voice heard.”
The “Hands Off” gathering also attracted a group of counter protesters, who held signs in support of Trump and Musk just across the street. Among those counter protesting was Hall County Resident Maribeth Kennedy, who said she feels as though DOGE’s work has been misrepresented.
“What DOGE has found is over 7 million people with active social security numbers that are still on the rolls, that are age 120 and above,” Kennedy said. “This is unbelievable that this has gone on for so long, so their social security benefits are not going to be taken away. But those that are not able and should not be able to collect social security are being removed from the system.”
Banks County resident Brian Parker also joined the group’s counter-message. He told AccessWDUN they expected about 20 to 30 people to stand with them.
The Gainesville Police Department was also on-scene throughout the event. The department does not have an exact estimate for the gathering, as of last report.
