Thousands flood Raleigh’s Bicentennial Plaza to protest Trump in largest rally this year

More than 4,500 gathered in Raleigh’s Bicentennial Plaza on Saturday to protest the Trump administration, calling for an end to cuts to health care and welfare programs as well as the removal of massive tariffs that have caused the stock market to tumble.

The demonstration, organized by a wide swath of activist groups including the 50501 Movement, Bishop William Barber II’s Poor People’s Campaign, and the Union of Southern Service Workers, was part of a national day of protest that saw thousands gather in state capitals and major cities around the country. Protesters demanded the Trump administration take its “hands off” core social services such as Medicaid and Social Security as well as scientific research and international aid programs.

Speakers included veterans and union workers and brought together both longtime local advocates, like Rev. Rob Stephens of the Poor People’s Campaign, as well as those who only recently became engaged in politics, like high school junior Michael Turner, who came to the demonstration from Rocky Mount.

“They don’t care about the values that built this country, they don’t care about us,” Turner said of the administration, garnering cheers.  “We deserve leaders who fight for all people, not just the rich.”

“A couple of months ago, I didn’t even really want to be involved in politics,” said Aden Kalinowsky, whose sister depends on Medicaid for treatment of a rare genetic condition. “I don’t think it’s fair that they’re trying to take our Social Security from us. I don’t think it’s fair that they’re trying to take away our Medicaid from us.”

Eshawney Gaston, a food service worker in Durham with the Union of Southern Service Workers, demanded the administration take its “hands off my Medicaid.” She said her daughter requires specialized medical care and physical therapy because of her sickle cell anemia, health care Gaston would not be able to afford without help from Medicaid.

“We all have to stand up and fight together because health care is a human right,” Gaston said. “People don’t use Medicaid because they want to, I use it because I have to, because I can’t afford to do it on my own, because if I could, I would.”

While most of the discussion centered on national politics, North Carolina officials took heat from protesters as well, particularly Judge Jefferson Griffin, who has contested the state Supreme Court race for months via a bid to dispose of tens of thousands of ballots that on Friday received an affirmative ruling in the state appeals court.

“You need to know the names Phil Berger, Destin Hall — those are our leaders in the General Assembly who have been selling us out and have had the most corrupt government. The White House is taking all their cues from here,” Stephens said. “Yesterday, we know for sure that we don’t have a strong democracy, because Jefferson Davis — I mean, Jefferson Griffin — [is] trying to control who votes, who matters, and who has power in this democracy.”

Among the signs at the protest was a poster with the face of Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) captioned, “Where are you Thom? Do your job!” Another advised attendees to “Check the Griffin List,” the list of voters whose ballots are included in the challenge to the state Supreme Court race.

The demonstration doubled as a food drive, with John Freeman, a frequent organizer of Raleigh’s 50501 demonstrations, sharing the fact that organizers had raised roughly $4,000 for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. He said his group, the Iron Front of North Carolina, would also be distributing many canned goods and other food items collected at the April 5 demonstration.

Charlotte Ellis, a painter and former educator living in Louisburg, said she was motivated to participate in the protest by the administration’s cuts to schools. In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the closure of the Department of Education, a move that has since been challenged in federal court.

“I want the schools to continue being funded and the teachers work really hard, and they’re trying really hard to do a good job, and they don’t need their funding cut, they need to keep their funding,” Ellis said. “All young children need to be trained to their full potential.”

Megan Bell, a participant in the national Women’s Marches under the first Trump administration, said she was “impressed and energized” by the crowd in Raleigh. “We don’t have much power right now, but we do still have our voices, and while we do still have them, it’s important that we use them,” she said.

Massage therapist Marvin Chambers said he decided to attend after seeing a flyer on a lamp post yesterday, joining demonstrations both in Durham and Raleigh Saturday. He said that while he was pleased with the turnout for the protests, he hopes people will “put their dollars where their voices are.”

Robert Shaughnessy, a machinist, condemned the “blatant disregard for due process of law, the Constitution, [and] the process of making, interpreting, and enforcing laws” by the Trump administration. He said it was “heartening” to see so many voice similar concerns at the Raleigh protest.

“There is no question whatsoever that the current administration has no compunctions about just bringing down steel on people who are law-abiding citizens,” he said. “Whether we like it or not, you have to meet steel with steel.”