ASHEVILLE – Across Pack Square Park, the wave of signs continues to crash. One after another they state: “Democracy is on the line.” “Hands off our education.” “Save America.”
A crowd of over 7,500 pushed back against federal firings from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, tariffs, efforts to expand logging operations in national forests, the overturning of Roe v. Wade and more of President Donald Trump’s agenda as drumbeats from local marching band Brass Your Heart rolled through Pack Square Park on April 5. Some held signs. Some chanted and sang. Others held American, Ukrainian or Palestinian flags. Some just watched on.
Organized by Good Trouble WNC, Indivisible Asheville and the Western Region NC Poor People’s Campaign, the gathering was one of 1,000 planned “Hands Off!” protests organized by grassroots organizations across the country. The protests are widely expected to be among the largest and most widely attended since Trump’s second term began. In Asheville, it was likely the largest gathering against Trump’s administration since it began in January. For two hours, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the crowd was inescapable across downtown as the noise pushed past Pack Square and down Patton Avenue.
The last rally speaker was Jay Carey, the Arden veteran had been thrown out of Congressman Chuck Edwards town hall in mid-March after confronting him stating: “I’m a veteran. You don’t give a f— about me.” The moment went viral, catapulted him into the public eye and spurred the launch a nonprofit advocacy organization for veterans called Resist & Persist.
The crowd’s frustrations with President Donald Trump’s agenda were visible from the hundreds of signs expressing resentment, disgust and disapproval in Trump’s agenda. Carey, who ran for Congress in the District 11 Democratic Primary in 2022, said it wasn’t surprising. He knew there was going to be a large turnout, he said.
“People are pissed off and they’re done — they’re done,” he told the Citizen Times before taking the stage to speak.
But Democratic local officials, if they were present, made themselves scant during the rally. Buncombe County Commission Chair Amanda Edwards was the only elected official to speak during the demonstration. Edwards, a Democrat, described access to education and better paying jobs as “under attack” amid the region’s recovery from Tropical Storm Helene.
“I’m not sure that anyone was prepared for what divisive politics and layers upon layers of climate emergencies have done to our community and our region,” Edwards said. “But looking around this morning, I see that plenty of us are heeding the call to take action.”
Over 7,500 gathered at Pack Square Park Saturday, April 5, 2025 for the “Hands Off!” protest in downtown Asheville.
Some protestors held signs addressing issues and political moments just days old, one stating: “What Cory said!” referencing New Jersey Senator Cory Booker’s March 31 Senate floor speech where he broke records by holding the floor for 25 hours and five minutes. It was the longest floor speech in recorded U.S. history.
Other signs took aim at Trump’s tariffs, which he imposed on April 4 sending stock markets plummeting as nations imposed reciprocal tariffs on U.S. goods. When the day was done, the S&P 500, an index of 500 leading companies, had recorded it’s worst day since 2020 and ended at 5,396.52, a loss of 4.8%. Some even took the opportunity to satirize the status of iconic American values: democracy, liberty, justice, equality.
Dressed as “sisters of liberty and justice,” Chantall Saunders and Betsy Puckett drew some protestors attention as they passed by, looking battered and bruised. Puckett carried a scale, one side weighing heavy with three skulls and a Cheeto on it. On the other side was a pair a dice.
Over 7,500 gathered at Pack Square Park Saturday, April 5, 2025 for the “Hands Off!” protest in downtown Asheville.
The costumes were a visual describing the “removal of impartiality” in American government, Saunders said, who expressed frustration that Trump was able to be elected to the highest position in the U.S., despite being convicted of 34 felonies in May 2024. Many sign holders were also pushing back against DOGE’s federal firings, which have frustrated former and current federal workers.
Carey is advocating to save more positions at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs after DOGE had eliminated more than 1,400 positions in the department, including 14 positions in Asheville. More cuts are expected at the strained federal department — roughly 80,000 by some estimates — but Carey felt the public is “being lied to” about how cuts will affect services.
Toward the end, a rowdy rally crowd cheered as Carey took the stage. As he wrapped up his speech to the crowd, he cussed and swore against Trump’s policies, using the same expletives he used at Edwards town hall. Though the language was firm, the crowd was excited and was agreement. Carey felt people want to “hear the truth” and wants representatives to take more of a stand, like Booker did.
“They’re not loud enough. They’re starting to be, but they’re not. We only have a few that are really speaking out,” Carey said.
Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Thousands rally in ‘Hands Off!’ Asheville protest against Trump, Musk