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A massive crowd flooded Portland’s waterfront Saturday afternoon for the “Hands Off Our Democracy!” rally, as thousands of Oregonians joined a coast-to-coast display of outrage against President Donald Trump dismantling federal agencies, deporting critics of U.S. foreign policy and ordering states to halt their diversity efforts.
The demonstration drew a crowd that appeared to contain well over 10,000 people to the Japanese American Historical Plaza, before they marched through downtown. Marchers carried handmade signs, joined in chants, and made their way on foot across the Morrison Bridge, closing it to motorists for the afternoon.
“We are seeing the targeting of people for their identities,” said City Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane in a speech to the crowd. “We are seeing targeting of people for their beliefs. We are seeing people targeted for their bodies. This is the same attitudes and rhetoric used to imprison my grandparents back in World War II. Trust, once it’s lost, is hard to regain.”
Lane, the first Asian American to sit on the Portland City Council and a descendant of Japanese-Americans interned during World War II, said that the rhetoric her grandparents told her about is now being repeated from the White House.
Lane was joined by City Councilors Angelita Morillo and Sameer Kanal. Representatives from the Oregon ACLU, Resist US-Led War, the American Party of Labor and the International League of Peoples’ Struggle also addressed the crowd, as did Kent Ford, co-founder of the Portland Black Panthers.
“Local government must be a firewall to the Trump administration,” said Kanal.
The event was one of roughly 1,300 protests held across the country, with organizers estimating a turnout of nearly 100,000 in Washington, D.C. alone. While modestly scaled protests against Trump and his billionaire donor turned special government employee Elon Musk have become regular occurrences in Portland since the scale of the administration’s ambitions became evident, Saturday’s rally was the first to rival the vast crowds that opposed Trump in his first term, before he sent federal agents to quell protests and riots in 2020.
The “Hands Off” event also coincided with growing national alarm over the effects of the president’s steep tarrifs, which have sent the stock market into a nosedive, although Saturday’s march mostly focused on civil liberties and government services rather than the economy.
Those who stayed at the Plaza found stations for postcard-writing to elected officials, a community quilt project titled Remember, Resist, Rebuild, and a Kids Zone with age-appropriate educational activities. Organizers also spotlighted local advocacy groups and offered information on how to stay politically active beyond street protests.
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Organizers emphasized the event’s peaceful tone, but protestors made it clear their anger at the Trump administration.
“I was born when Roe v. Wade happened, so I grew up a little spoiled when it came to my rights,” said Andrea Hill, sporting a red Handmaids Tale costume. “I have a daughter, and I refuse to let her rights be taken away. I will fight for her.”
Other protestors were marching with family and loved ones and asking why leadership across the country is doing so little.
“Where are our elected officials?” asked Tim Mongin, marching with his daughter. “They need to show up and fight like us, like we are right now. They can’t let this happen.”
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) praised the “people power” fueling demonstrations across the country and pointed to recent policy wins and electoral results as proof of growing resistance.
“I’m under no illusions,” Wyden wrote in a letter following the event. “There are plenty of tough fights ahead to undo the damage that’s been done, and to get our democracy back… but with all of us doing everything we can—blowing the whistle on this administration’s lawbreaking and cruelty—we can battle back. And we will win.”
The 2-mile-long march started at the waterfront plaza and continued down Naito Parkway, across the Morrison Bridge and along Northeast Grand Avenue, then back to the plaza, ending after about 4 ½ hours.
Police said they sent liaisons to accompany what was an entirely peaceful event. They arrested one woman who keyed a Portland Fire and Rescue vehicle.