RACINE, Wis. — Bob Larsen attended his first protest since the Vietnam War Saturday in Racine, joining hundreds at Monument Square and thousands nationwide in an effort against the Trump administration.
Larsen told TMJ4’s Tahleel Mohieldin he participated in the “Hands Off!” movement because he believed it was time for people to express their unhappiness with the sweeping changes Trump has instituted in his second term.
“Every day there’s a new kind of horror,” he said. “We’ve seen unprecedented destructions of the things that make America great so far from Making America Great Again.”
Amy Krenzke organized the Racine rally with the support of Indivisible, the Working Families Party, and the Democratic Party of Racine County.
Krenzke said she took the lead because she felt it was crucial for the voices of Racine residents to be represented.
“Here in Racine, we are truly a working class,” she said. “We’re hard-working people and those benefits and those things that we had are being taken away by our federal government.”
Attendees, like Judith Shine, expressed their displeasure with Trump’s collaboration with billionaire turned senior advisor Elon Musk.
Check out: 'It's ok to change your mind': Racine protestors rally against Trump, Musk in 'Hands Off!' movement
A partnership that has led to sweeping cuts to federal jobs, programs, and agencies.
“It doesn’t seem like there’s a good assessment of individual organizations, of individual departments,” Shine said. “It’s just a blatant firing of everybody.”
With Saturday’s protests, Krenzke said they're not only hoping to sway national leaders but local elected officials as well.
“Bryan Steil and others that are not speaking up for us,” she explained. “I hope that they see us and hear us.”
“If he wants his job, he’s got to change his tune,” Larsen echoed. “Bryan Steil has got to start representing the best interests of his constituents and not kowtowing to the would-be king.”
Republican congressman Bryan Steil represents the Racine area in Wisconsin's First Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
TMJ4 News reached out to the congressman’s office but did not immediately receive a response.
Protestors in Racine Saturday also called on the American people to look beyond party lines.
“Hopefully, through some of this, maybe inform some of the MAGAs who are wavering,” Shine said. “I don’t believe every one of them believes everything Donald Trump is doing but I do believe they are hesitant to switch.”
“It’s ok to change your mind," Krenke also urged.
Larson is pushing voters to ramp up the pressure against the administration, encouraged by Saturday’s turnout in Racine and nationwide.
“It’s certainly one of our most cherished rights,” he added. “Free speech, to get out and let our opinions be known.”
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