Hundreds of protesters gathered in the wind and rain Saturday at the Monroe County Courthouse as part of the nationwide “Hands Off!” protest.
They carried umbrellas, donned raincoats and held signs in protest of President Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk and recent actions by the U.S. and Indiana governments. Throughout the two-hour protest, cars driving by honked in support of the demonstration. Protesters stood at all four corners of the square and speakers gathered on the southeast side of the building.
Chrissie Geels, vice chair of the Monroe County Democratic Party, told the IDS she organized the protest.
“A little under a week ago, I was looking around and I realized that there were dozens and dozens of protests planned for all across the state,” she said, “but there wasn't one in Bloomington, so I said, ‘Damn it, I'll do it.’”
The Associated Press reported various groups across the country organized more than 1,200 “Hands Off!” protests Saturday, including ones in Indianapolis, Louisville, South Bend and Fort Wayne.
The Bloomington protest included several organizations, including the IU College Democrats, Indivisible South Central Indiana and leaders from organizations supporting education, refugees, public health and union rights. The protest started at noon, and most attendees dispersed by 2 p.m.
On the corner of the courthouse by the U.S. and state flag, organizers set up a canopy where speakers rallied to the crowd surrounding them. Speakers included members of the Monroe County and Bloomington City Councils, State Sen. Shelli Yoder, longtime local public servant Charlotte Zietlow and Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson.
Yoder told the IDS when democracy is on the line, it is up to the people to speak up and make a difference.
“When the weather is just pouring down rain and people still show up in droves, that makes the message that much more powerful,” she said.
Demonstrators sung versions of a chant throughout the protest, against the “rich man.”
Claire Cumberland, a union representative from the Communications Workers of America Local 4818, which includes support and technical staff at IU Bloomington, said the White House does not belong to millionaires, but the people.
“I went down to the rich man’s house, I took back what he stole from me,” the demonstrators sung. “I took it back, took back my dignity, took it back, took back my humanity.”
After the protestors finished their song, Sydney Zulich, Bloomington’s youngest ever city council member, took the stage with a message replicating civil rights leader John Lewis’ "good trouble" ideology.
“For our elected officials, good trouble is refusing to enact unjust legislation,” she said. “It's refusing to be complicit in that which harms the very people we were elected to represent.”
David Henry, Monroe County Council Member at-large, advocated for Monroe County to stand its ground against the state and federal government, especially against Lieutenant Govenor Micah Beckwith, who will host a Bloomington town hall April 28.
Geels added on, saying that the protestors will also oppose Sen. Todd Young’s April 15 Bloomington visit.
The demonstration continued with another handful of speakers from a variety of backgrounds — politicians, lawyers, education leaders, union organizers and a doctor— all of whom spoke against the Trump Administration’s policies and echoed the messages about community strength, organization and the “power of the people.”
Geels ended the speeches by giving the demonstrators calls to action they need to complete.
“Everybody has a reason to get involved,” she said. “You've all been assigned your homework assignment.”
Speakers said protesters should show out in rural communities, such as Greene or Owen County, and advocate for the refugee and transgender communities.
IU freshman Jack Ellis was at the protest holding a sign advocating against Musk and Trump. He said he hoped to see a large turnout of young people.
“If you believe in this cause and you're not doing something, then you just need to shut up,” he said. “If you're not out here taking action, then you're just as bad as the people on the other side of this.”
Across the lawn stood Patrick Turner, veteran and Greene County, Indiana, resident who held a sign above his head stating: “Hands off veteran benefits.” He attended the protest because he was concerned with the actions of the government, stating the Trump Administration is maybe the “worst thing that has ever happened to our country.”
“Any kind of social program, whether it is Social Security, to veterans, public schools, it's all at risk,” he said. “I don't know what these people are up to.”
Saturday was Bloomington native Tim Daniel’s 36th birthday and his first protest. He held a sign reading, “persist, resist, fight.” Daniel said he wanted to do those three things through demonstrations like Saturday’s and supporting voter protection laws.
“Even if it’s raining today, it feels like this is something I could do and get seen and lend some impact,” Daniel said from under an umbrella.
He said after the protest he might get dessert from Vivencia Latin Flavors to celebrate his birthday.
Alec Blake said she works for nonprofit Girls Inc. of Monroe County, which provides mentors and hosts programs for girls. She said federal funding freezes are impacting the grants Girls Inc. receives, which motivated her to protest Saturday.
“I work with children, so it felt like fighting for something for them and for our future,” Blake said.
At the end of the protest, around a dozen people participated in a dance protest known as the “Nelken Line.” In a single-file line, they walked near the courthouse, motioning with their hands. The hand movements indicate the four seasons, according to Dance Art Journal. Artists performed the dance in February in Washington to protest Trump’s firing of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts board.
“Sometimes protesting can get very, you know, angry,” Utam Moses, co-organizer of Bloomington Dance Protest, said, “and you feel overwhelmed and out of your body. So this is a way to, like, regulate and just be in solidarity and embody the feelings together.”
