Stony Point Stands Up in Support of “Hands Off” Rally Against Trump/Musk Policies on National Day of Protest

On Saturday, April 5 at 12noon – 2pm, more than one hundred fifty North Rockland residents stood peacefully with signs of protest ­­on both sides of Route 9W in of Stony Point to join with millions of Americans in 1,400 small towns and large cities in all 50 US states, Canada and Mexico to support pro-democracy protests organized by “Hands Off” and 150 activist groups to build a massive, visible, national rejection of the crisis being created by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk – and in opposition to their policies, actions and hostile takeover attack on our American rights and freedoms!

Nearly 600,000 people had signed up to attend the events, some of which took place in major cities around the world like London and Paris, according to Indivisible, one of the organizations leading the movement in collaboration with a nationwide coalition that included civil rights organizations, veterans, women’s rights groups, labor unions and LGBTQ+ advocates and local, civic organizations, including the Stony Point Action Committee for the Environment, Inc. (SPACE).

“Several of the protesters at Saturday’s rallies in Stony Point and Nanuet are just regular Rockland citizens who are both fed-up and scared – but also determined to use their voices and our First Amendment rights to express their anger with the wrong direction our country is heading. Some were also retired military veterans who had fought bravely in the Middle East and in war around the world against threats to democracy and now, for the first time, are marching to fight President Trump’s threats to our laws and our democracy right here in the streets of America – and to oppose the hateful attacks on immigrants, trans\people, and other communities!” said George Potanovic, president of SPACE, who helped organize the protest in the Town of Stony Point.

Several said they were protesting to put an end to the billionaire takeover and rampant corruption of the Trump administration – and are fearful that Trump and DOGE are undermining science, destroying our education and our economy – while sabotaging Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits and other government agencies and programs that working people rely on by slashing federal funds from the inside with severe disruptions to staffing and funding!

It is up to each of us to prevent our government from being dismantled and to stand up for our true American values!