2 weeks Ago By JESS HUME-PANTUSO [email protected]
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save After weeks of what they consider devastating news for the country — the wholesale cutting of federal agencies , deportations of people who have the legal right to be here and topped of by recent tariff hikes — thousands took to the streets of downtown Corvallis and Albany, joining a nationwide day of demonstrations on Saturday. "This is, by far, the biggest crowd I've seen," Lisa Logsdon said while standing on the corner of Northwest Fourth Street and Southwest Monroe Avenue, cattycorner from the Benton County Courthouse, a common place of protest for the university city. The scene on Fourth Street in Corvallis in front of the Benton County Courthouse on Saturday, April 5, as thousands came to protest President Trump's second term and his reliance on adviser Elon Musk.
Logsdon, who first protested the Gulf War in 1990, was joined by thousands of people who flocked to downtown Corvallis to demonstrate against President Donald Trump and his close adviser, tech billionaire Elon Musk on April 5. People are also reading..
. Moment of truth arrives for Oregon State gymnastics Oregon State gymnastics team advances to regional final OSU gymnastics notebook: Carey earns all-American honors I visited all nine bars on the Corvallis 'dive bar crawl' OSU police chief on administrative leave won't come back Benton County event will promote safe driving on Highway 20 Corvallis EPA on pins and needles after elimination threats Samaritan Health notifies bank of default, is open to buyout Albany woman pleads following fatal Highway 20 hit-and-run Thousands of books for sale at annual BIG Book Sale in Corvallis South Albany coach gets jail, probation for theft from team Acai bowl restaurant opens in downtown Corvallis Can shorthanded Oregon State benefit from inaugural College Basketball Crown tournament? Millpond residents raise alarm as Philomath development continues Child saves sibling in Albany house fire The sidewalks, grass, storefronts and crosswalks were packed with people of all colors, genders, ages and even political views from the mid-Willamette Valley community, united in their feelings about Trump's second presidency. "I'm not a liberal," Jan Howard of Albany said as she held up a sign calling for due process along Ellsworth Street in Albany.
"It's what this country is founded on." Jennifer Gale, 12, left, and sister Emma Gale, 13, of Albany wave to motorists on Ellsworth Street as part of an anti-Trump, anti-Elon Musk protest Saturday, April 5. Said Mark Anderson of Corvallis at his hometown protest: "I believe in freedom, and I believe in democracy, and I think there is something going wrong in the country.
And it's gotta stop — and that is the polite way to put it." Like many others, he held a handmade cardboard sign, his saying saying, "Musk is evil" in green lettering. Planned far in advance of the week's news cycle, the protest was one of many taking place nationwide, part of a movement against Trump’s policies and actions since retaking office and organized by several progressive activist groups under the message of “Hands Off.
” "I am a nurse, I do maternity and child care," said Melanie Alamia, who helps write funding proposals for programs that support children and family care, such as Head Start. "Everything we want our tax money to go to is being eradicated illegally." Organizers — including groups such as Third Act, Indivisible and MoveOn — warn of Trump and Musk targeting democratic traditions and institutions, personal freedoms and environmental protections, among other concerns.
“Donald Trump and Elon Musk think this country belongs to them,” Third Act posted to its website. “They’re grabbing everything they can, and it’s up to us to push back.” Events were scheduled in every state, in cities both large and small, in what was expected to be the largest single-day protest against Trump to date.
Axios reported more than 1,100 rallies were slated with more than 400,000 RSVPs nationwide. As reports came in Saturday, those numbers appeared underestimates, with 2.3 million people participating, organizers said.
As one might expect from Corvallis, the home of Oregon State University and arguably Oregon's bluest town, many of the protesters were practiced in the art of demonstration. Then there was 97-year-old Betty Orner. Orner, who although she has lived in the area since the end of the World War II and raised her family in Corvallis, this was her first protest.
She was accompanied by daughter, Janet. Local elected officials made their appearances, Corvallis Mayor Charles Maughan was seen among the hustle and bustle, and several of the Greater Albany school board candidates made appearances in the other side of th3e Willamette River. Ashlee Weitlauf of Albany stands on Ellsworth Street in downtown Albany as part of the Hands Off protest movement on Saturday, April 5.
Penny Rosenberg Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Many of the signs carried by protesters on Saturday, April 5, in downtown Albany were handmade. The sign holder declined to be identified. Penny Rosenberg Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Jennifer Gale, 12, left, and sister Emma Gale, 13, of Albany wave to motorists on Ellsworth Street as part of an anti-Trump, anti-Elon Musk protest Saturday, April 5.
Penny Rosenberg Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Ellsworth Street was lined with protesters on both sides for three-plus blocks in downtown Albany on Saturday, April 5. Penny Rosenberg Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Protesters along Ellsworth Street in downtown Albany waved at motorists, many of whom honked back. Penny Rosenberg Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Many of the protesters in downtown Albany on Saturday, April 5, made their own signs as part of the Hands Off rallies held nationwide.
Penny Rosenberg Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Many of the protest signs were homemade at the Hands Off rally held in Albany on Saturday, April 5. Penny Rosenberg Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Perhaps as many as 700 people attended the Hands Off protest in Albany on Saturday, April 5. Penny Rosenberg Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save An irresistibly cute dog seen at the Hands Off rally in Albany on Saturday, April 5.
We deeply regret not getting his name. Penny Rosenberg Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Amy Davis of Albany participates in the Hands Off protest in Albany on Saturday, April 5, carrying a sign that didn't have room for her beefs. Penny Rosenberg Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save A sign at the Albany Hands Off protest urges the other branches of U.
S. government to keep the executive branch in check. Penny Rosenberg Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save The north side of Ellsworth Street in downtown Albany on Saturday, April 5, was also lined with protesters angry at President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
At one point, the crowd broke out into cheers of "USA!" Penny Rosenberg Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Susan Leonard of Albany joins the Hands Off protest in Albany on Saturday, April 5, carrying a sign that says, "Where law ends, tyranny begins." Penny Rosenberg Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save PHOTOS: Hundreds show up to protest Trump in Albany The gathering featured handmade signs, chants and demonstrators of all ages. Ashlee Weitlauf of Albany stands on Ellsworth Street in downtown Albany as part of the Hands Off protest movement on Saturday, April 5.
Penny Rosenberg Many of the signs carried by protesters on Saturday, April 5, in downtown Albany were handmade. The sign holder declined to be identified. Penny Rosenberg Jennifer Gale, 12, left, and sister Emma Gale, 13, of Albany wave to motorists on Ellsworth Street as part of an anti-Trump, anti-Elon Musk protest Saturday, April 5.
Penny Rosenberg Ellsworth Street was lined with protesters on both sides for three-plus blocks in downtown Albany on Saturday, April 5. Penny Rosenberg Protesters along Ellsworth Street in downtown Albany waved at motorists, many of whom honked back. Penny Rosenberg Many of the protesters in downtown Albany on Saturday, April 5, made their own signs as part of the Hands Off rallies held nationwide.
Penny Rosenberg Many of the protest signs were homemade at the Hands Off rally held in Albany on Saturday, April 5. Penny Rosenberg Perhaps as many as 700 people attended the Hands Off protest in Albany on Saturday, April 5. Penny Rosenberg An irresistibly cute dog seen at the Hands Off rally in Albany on Saturday, April 5.
We deeply regret not getting his name. Penny Rosenberg Amy Davis of Albany participates in the Hands Off protest in Albany on Saturday, April 5, carrying a sign that didn't have room for her beefs. Penny Rosenberg A sign at the Albany Hands Off protest urges the other branches of U.
S. government to keep the executive branch in check. Penny Rosenberg The north side of Ellsworth Street in downtown Albany on Saturday, April 5, was also lined with protesters angry at President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
At one point, the crowd broke out into cheers of "USA!" Penny Rosenberg Susan Leonard of Albany joins the Hands Off protest in Albany on Saturday, April 5, carrying a sign that says, "Where law ends, tyranny begins." Penny Rosenberg In Albany, a piece of tattered, silver, spray-painted cardboard hung from a string attached to a long pole held by Dave Pinyerd. It "was a Cybertruck about 20 minutes ago," he said, before fellow protesters went piñata on it.
Musk’s popularity with voters has been in question lately, with a wave of protests and vandalism hitting Tesla sales centers in recent weeks as the electric vehicle company’s sales dip. The “Tesla Takedown” organizers, who have been attracting crowds at Tesla showrooms as near as Salem and as far as Europe, oppose Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency’s chainsaw approach to cutting federal government agencies. White House officials chose to reschedule an annual spring garden tour for safety reasons because of an anti-Trump demonstration expected to happen nearby, although Trump was not expected to be in Washington, D.
C. over the weekend. His schedule had him attending a golf event in Florida and staying at his Palm Beach resort, 4 miles from anther protest, this one in front of the Palm Beach County Courthouse.
Many of the signs were homemade at Saturday's Corvallis protest against President Trump's second administration and his reliance on tech billionaire Elon Musk. The gatherings come as the Trump administration implements sweeping “reciprocal tariffs” that are expected to hike costs across the board. Imports such as coffee and cars, clothing and food could see increased price tags.
Global stock markets have tumbled since the tariffs were announced, including a record-setting Wall Street sell-off. Among the homemade signs was this: "Tax Putin, not penguins," in reference to that the tariffs did not include Russia but did include the Heard Island and McDonald Islands, which are uninhabited by humans but are home to penguins. Staff reporter Cody Mann and Editor Penny Rosenberg contributed to this article.
Related stories: Corvallis EPA on pins and needles after elimination threats Ella Hutcherson Federal offices in Corvallis, Albany face lease terminations Ella Hutcherson More Corvallis news More Albany news Cody Mann covers public safety and justice in Linn and Benton counties. He can be contacted at 541-812-6113 or Cody.Mann@lee.
net . Follow him on Twitter via @News_Mann_. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
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