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More than 1,000 protesters in Redwood City showed up on Saturday, voicing their opinions against the Trump administration’s policies on social security, immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, and the dismantling of the education system.
The protest was one of over 1,300 that occurred across the United States in the Hands Off! Day of Action movement. By Friday, April 4, one day before the protest, roughly 770 people had RSVP’ed to the RWC Hands Off demonstration.
Sidewalks on El Camino Real from Jefferson to James Avenue were crowded with protesters of all ages, from as young as babies in strollers to elders in their 90s. Organizers from activist group Indivisible Portola Valley wore giant Trump and Elon Musk masks that stood tall over the crowd, crossing the road as an ensemble.
Many demonstrators held signs, some which read “HANDS OFF OUR COURTS”, “MORONS ARE GOVERNING AMERICA,” and “YOU DON’T BELONG IN GOVERNMENT,” from community members occupying the space across the block.
Although the masses skewed to an older demographic, younger protesters say their peers were showing up in other ways.
Many said they and their friends participate through social media by sharing and posting information about Trump’s policies to educate their followers. However, 25-year-old protester Grey J. said her generation is also affected by misinformation while burning sage at the protest.
While hundreds of high schoolers in the mid-Peninsula organized a protest against anti-immigration laws in February, younger protestors were nearly absent from the scene. Some suspect that younger folks are attending larger demonstrations in San Francisco or Sacramento, while others may think the outreach about protests is not reaching them.
The event was strategically organized to be held in the middle of a busy roadway rather than city hall to reach “everybody in the mid-Peninsula,” said Indivisible Portola Valley organizer JoAnn Loulan. “The people are the veto power because we cannot depend on anyone else to help us, so we have to be out here in the streets,” she added.
Loulan said she started Protesters Unite, a political satire page on TikTok and Instagram, to reach younger demographics.
Parallels in history
Loulan recalls her generation frequently protesting during the Vietnam War and sees parallels in the current state of the nation to when Richard Nixon was elected in 1969.
“Fifty years ago, we were in our 20s, and our friends were getting drafted,” said Loulan. “We knew boys who were killed, and we saw the Vietnam War on T.V. all the time.”
Decades ago, anti-war protests grew to thousands over a couple of years, and Loulan believes that repeated exposure of local protests will bring in more people over time. In March, about 200 protesters attended the rally on Jefferson Avenue and El Camino Real. Now, thousands are participating.
A member of the Raging Grannies, a local activist group, said she feels like Trump is following the “Nazi playbook.”
Redwood City resident Mimi Roth, left, and Menlo Park resident Joyce Savre Hutt chant and wave their signs at traffic on El Camino Real during the ‘Hands Off’ protest in Redwood City on April 5, 2025. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney. 
About 1000 community members and activists gathered at the intersection of Jefferson Ave. and El Camino Real in Redwood City as part of the nationwide ‘Hands Off’ protests on April April 5, 2025. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney. 
Protesters dance, sing, and pull out instruments of their own as Jim Castellano of Redwood City taps his drum at the ‘Hands Off’ protest in Redwood City on April 5, 2025. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney. 
Stage IV cancer patient Mike Domingo of Redwood City holds up a sign pointing out how government cuts directly affect cancer patients during the ‘Hands Off’ protest in Redwood City on April 5, 2025. “Yesterday I thought going to a ballgame was what I needed. But turns out, this is better,” Domingo said of attending the protest. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney.
“History doesn’t always repeat itself, but it rhymes and we need to be on the lookout and pay attention,” said Redwood City resident Christina Hoadley.
Strength in local demonstrations
Local leaders, including San Mateo County District 2 Supervisor Noelia Corzo and South San Francisco Council member James Coleman, participated in the protest alongside the community.
“This is not just about sending a message to the federal administration,” said Corzo. “It’s also about people connecting with each other and using those connections to make more local impacts as well.”
Corzo added that she finds inspiration and strength from the community during these rallies and finds it important for leaders to stand with the people during difficult times.
“As elected officials, one of our responsibilities is to be a legislator in the halls of city hall, but we also have a responsibility to use our platform and our voice to speak out against what is wrong,” said Coleman.
Indivisible Portola Valley, the group that organized the protest, is planning for another demonstration at the same location on May 1.
