Several hundred people rallied Saturday on the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City to protest the Trump administration’s dramatic reshaping of the federal government.
On a chilly and windy afternoon, protesters took over both sides of the street in the shopping district, holding handmade signs that criticized President Trump’s tariffs; the dissolution of the Education Department; threats to the Postal Service; attacks on diversity initiatives; and defunding of environmental programs, among many other actions.
One woman held a bright green sign declaring “Dangerous Oligarchs Grabbing Everything,” a reference to the Department of Government Efficiency led by billionaire Trump advisor Elon Musk. “No one voted for Elon Musk!” read another — a major theme of the day’s protests.
The “Hands Off!” event was held in conjunction with a nationwide day of action coordinated by social justice nonprofit Indivisible. Nearly 1,400 similar events were planned around the nation.
Hundreds of Johnson County residents turned out for another protest Saturday in Lenexa, and Lawrence, Kansas, saw a rally of its own.
Beverly Harvey, a veteran and leader of Indivisible KC, said that the federal government’s actions have hurt the economy, risked people’s health care, and threatened personal data.
Harvey receives Social Security and Medicare, and fears the Trump current administration will slash her benefits. She’s also deeply concerned about the treatment of veterans: the Department of Veterans Affairs already cut tens of thousands of jobs, ended a program that helps veterans with housing, and restricted health care coverage.
“It’s awful because these people have served their country, and they need to be respected and they need to have the benefits they earned,” Harvey said.
Indivisible KC began the day’s events with a packed meeting inside Community Christian Church, where 900 attendees — with backgrounds in the military, education, and local unions — voiced their frustrations. Harvey also taught residents how to get in contact with their elected representatives.
Outside, more people gathered at the Plaza fountain across the street.
About a dozen members of the local Postal Workers Union attended the rally, demanding that the Trump administration keeps its “hands off USPS.”
Aaron Brown, a representative for the union, fears that mass layoffs and service cutbacks are coming for the federal mail service. He says small, rural towns are most at risk.
“We have concerns they might move into our territory, that will make decisions that impact mail delivery and will ultimately impact mail employees,” Brown said.
Tad Miller, who identifies as a trans educator, was worried about their loved ones’ health care needs.
“I have family that have intense medical needs like cancer,” Miller said. “Even in this time where we all have our issues that we’re focused on, it is easy to forget the other things that every individual person is fighting for as well.”
Miller is also concerned about the future of local schools after the U.S. Department of Education threatened to hold withhold funding if districts continued programs aimed at combating discrimination and fixing historic racial and gender inequalities.
"It’s people who don't care about what our kids are going to become, and who they’re going to be, even though they are our future,” Miller said. “It’s terrifying.”
This story has been corrected to reflect the proper gender of one of the sources.
