Hundreds crowd KC’s Plaza for ‘Hands Off!’ protest against Trump, Elon Musk
Demonstrators held a rally in Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza as part of nationwide protests Saturday, marking the second consecutive weekend of local protests against the Trump administration.
Organizers said the protest aimed to call on President Donald Trump and senior adviser Elon Musk to “take their hands off” programs that working families rely on. Those in attendance voiced concern for health care access, Social Security, First Amendment rights, prices of everyday goods and other causes.
Donning stocking caps and bundled up in winter coats against an April chill, hundreds of protesters held picket signs along the sidewalks of Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard and Main Street. People stationed throughout the crowd with megaphones led chants as cars passing by honked.
The rally brought together people of varying political affiliations, including Republicans, Democrats and independents who take issue with federal policies affecting local people.
One protester, a Marine Corps veteran, flew an upside down American flag as she joined in the chants.
The veteran, Amanda Sontag, 39, said she completed two combat tours in Iraq. Among other issues, seeing layoffs at the Department of Veterans Affairs leaves her concerned about access to her veteran health care benefits, she said.
“To see people deported with without due process, to see judges bullied, to see our Congress really just crippled, it’s beyond partisan politics,” Sontag said. “These issues are fundamental to our Constitution, and I’m not going to let it go silently.”
Last weekend, thousands marched from downtown Kansas City to Union Station in what organizers called a March for Democracy. Several attendees, who identified themselves as both Republicans and Democrats, voiced concerns about what they see as federal government overreach in citizen’s rights.
Before this weekend’s rally at The Plaza, the sanctuary at Community Christian Church overflowed with people as organizers of the rally shared ways to “take action.” By mid-morning, a sign on the front door of the church read “We are at capacity per fire codes,” turning dozens away. People were packed shoulder-to-shoulder in the sanctuary balcony.
Attending the rally with her neighbor Saturday was Ann Zimmerman, 60, who said emailing representatives has become part of her regular routine. Zimmerman said she has conservative values, but disagrees with federal layoffs, tariffs and cuts to thousands of grant programs.
“My whole life has been in the nonprofit world,” Zimmerman said. “When you know how much... nonprofits are doing each day to improve the lives of other people, and then... (the Department of Government Efficiency) is just arbitrarily cutting people, cutting grants, it’s like they haven’t even evaluated what’s working.”
Ronda McCrary, 68, lives next to Zimmerman in Shawnee. McCrary said she supports limiting federal spending, but views the DOGE initiative as harmful.
“We’ve been saying for years, figure it out. You know, quit throwing money away,” McCrary said. “But this is not how to do that.”
Around 1,000 people attended the Kansas City “Hands Off” protest Saturday, and hundreds more attended similar protests in Lenexa, Overland Park, Leawood and Leavenworth. The demonstrations were peaceful as attendees made their grievances known.
Roger Lake, 63, came to the rally on the Plaza with his Local 124 chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) in Kansas City. Lake said he is concerned about labor union battles against the Trump administration during job cuts and what implications they might have on trade unions.
Lake is a wireman by trade, he said, and knows people who work for federal agencies around Kansas City. He has friends at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) who have been laid off, or are being told they can no longer do their job as it was before, he said.
“I have one friend that is labor liaison for the Department of Labor that used to come speak to us about the policies and stuff,” Lake said. “He’s been told to stop.
“We’re under attack. Just a few years ago in Missouri, they... tried to turn us into a right to work state, and we fought that back,” Lake said. “So we can’t stand idle and let the government take down others, because they’ll come after us next.”
Over 1,200 “Hands Off!” demonstrations were planned by more than 150 groups across the nation, the Associated Press reported. Protest sites spanned all 50 states and convened at well-known government landmarks including the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and at state capitol buildings.
This story was originally published April 5, 2025 at 4:01 PM.
