Thousands of protesters, many holding colorful signs airing a variety of grievances, lined Northeast Center Street in downtown Salem on Saturday, April 5, to protest President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.
Protesters spilled into the surrounding streets and parks, but the main group of protesters was concentrated along Center Street in front of the Capitol, where protesters banged pots and pans, blew horns and chanted into megaphones.
Many waved pride, Ukrainian and upside-down American flags.
The constant honking from passing vehicles created a raucous scene and many drivers on Center Street raised their fists and waved at protesters.
The protest follows other demonstrations in Salem held during the first months of President Donald Trump’s administration and organized by the 50501 movement, which aims to “uphold the Constitution and end executive overreach,” according to its website.
Saturday’s “Hands Off” protest, was organized, in part, by 50501 along with the Salem chapter of the progressive Indivisible movement to demonstrate against what they see as the gutting of the social programs Americans rely on.
Similar protests were held across Oregon and the country. There were no counterprotesters but passengers in a vehicle displayed Make America Great Again hats passed by the protesters several times throughout the demonstration.
Alicia Van Driel of Albany and her partner Raudel Perezchica came to Salem for the local Hands Off protest and said they were particularly concerned about the Trump administration’s slashing of social programs and dismantling of the federal government.
“Trump is breaking the law and they are taking over our government and dismantling it. And they’ve sunk the stock market. Elon Musk has no place there. They have taken away our programs that our taxes are paying for,” Van Dreil said. “I knew that Trump was dishonest before he got voted in. I didn’t vote for him, and everybody that has voted for him needs to take a look at what’s really going on.”
Van Driel believes Trump deliberately used tariffs to drive down the stock market. She also doesn’t think the tariffs are warranted and that they lack any apparent economic utility.
“I believe he is using his government for his own platform to enrich himself. And getting people to come to him to beg to take the tariffs off so he can enrich himself with whatever deal he can make with them,” Van Driel said. Van Driel believes what is at stake is “our way of life, our Social Security, our programs…our jobs, our national parks.”
Dana Smith came to Salem from Dallas, where she attended an earlier protest she estimated brought out about 165 people. Smith said she was a Republican in the 1970s, but has since drifted away from the party. She is particularly concerned now about the status of the rule of law in America.
“The biggest one for me is that the whole infrastructure of our society is being decimated by Musk and Trump,” Smith said. “It’s illegal, it’s unconstitutional, and I am afraid that the Supreme Court is not going to stand up even though the lower courts are standing up, I’m really afraid of what’s going to happen when it hits the Supreme Court.”
Smith is also worried the country’s highest court has been corrupted.
“They are ignoring the state federal courts because they are not getting the rulings that they want. When they get into the Supreme Court…because Trump has essentially bought the majority, I’m wondering what’s going to happen there,” Smith said.
Smith thinks the tariffs are intended to distract the country from other matters.
“I think what’s happening is that the tariffs are, like a lot of the other stuff that they are doing, just a smokescreen to get people all upset and doing this, so that they can sneak in behind,” Smith said. “We are experiencing a coup right now.”
Smith said she fears that the government is cowing the media and that it’s critical that the facts are presented. She wants people to remain free to speak about their anger and fear. She is worried about the future.
“If they manage to take away Social Security and all of the social programs that keep people on an even keel as a society, what’s going to happen?” Smith said. “People aren’t going to be able to eat. People’s medical care is going to be gone.”
Jen Woody, a Salem artist, was at the Capitol with her companions deploying several ornate puppets she made as a way to protest. One puppet she fastened to her back was a Statue of Liberty, standing several feet tall.
“I’m an artist so it was like what can I do in this situation where I feel kind of powerless? Making images is one way I can contribute,” Woody said.
One of her other creations proclaimed, “I poop on Teslas,” a message against billionaire Elon Musk and his work leading the so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
“It’s more metaphorical,” Woody said. “I know people bought Teslas thinking it was the right thing to do, and it is good to have an electric car. It is about the idea of Elon, this unelected person.”
Woody said she was deeply troubled by the deportations of immigrants to El Salvador’s notorious mega-prison.
“Arresting people and sending them to El Salvador is to me is really scary,” Woody said.
“They are coming for immigrants now, and they’ll be coming for the next group and the next group. That’s how I feel.”
