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Joliet — Activists in Joliet are planning a public march on Saturday, April 5 to protest the Trump Administration and the policies of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
The event, dubbed Hands Off, is part of a larger Day of Action movement including 742 events in cities across the United States and an additional march in London.
Eighteen other Illinois cities, including Chicago, Springfield, and DeKalb will also hold rallies.
The events are largely organized by volunteers being supported by progressive political groups Move On, Indivisible, Third Act, the Women’s March, The Color of Change, the and over 100 other local and national organizations.
The League of Women Voters is also participating in the organizing.
According to the event website, the purpose of the marches is “to demand a stop to the chaos and build an opposition movement against the looting of our country.”
The Joliet event will take place at the old courthouse grounds, located at 100 W. Jefferson St. in downtown Joliet from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. All are welcome and participants are encouraged to make signs and wear protest-themed apparel.
The protest is focused on voicing anger about the cuts being made by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE team to government jobs, programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid and government agencies including the Department of Education.
“Donald Trump and Elon Musk think this country belongs to them,” the organizers state on the Hands Off website. “This mass mobilization day is our message to the world that we do not consent to the destruction of our government and our economy for the benefit of Trump and his billionaire allies.”
Hands off organizers emphasize that “a core principle behind all Hands Off events is a commitment to nonviolent action” and ask all participants to avoid confrontation or attempt de-escalation if confronted by counter-protestors.