Dispatch from Durham “Hands Off” Protest

On April 5, thousands gathered in CCB Plaza and Five Points Plaza to protest the extreme instability of the first few months of the Trump administration. Organized by the Durham Democrats, the "Hands Off" rally denounced the defunding of federal scientific programs, erosion of civil rights, and the president’s authoritarian tendencies.

Turnout was huge by local standards. Organizers estimated that 2,000 people poured into the area between Corcoran Street, East Chapel Hill Street, and West Main Street. It was the city’s largest political street rally since a 2017 protest against the Klu Klux Klan [1].

Volunteer marshals kept marchers on sidewalks, but that was the extent of visible coordination. Speakers in CCB Plaza may have tried to address the crowd, but there was no sound system. No progressive groups set up tables, distributed literature, or recruited members. Around 11:30 a.m., the crowd began marching down East Chapel Hill Street and circling the block. With no chant leaders, the shouted slogans were spontaneous and random. Outside of Neomonde Mediterranean, a chant of “this is what democracy looks like” faded, suddenly replaced by Chappell Roan lyrics. (Correction: the chant may have been "H-O-T-T-O-G-O, Trump and Musk have got to go!")

Alongside the crowd in CCB Plaza were several metal racks with used clothing. The “Hands Off” rally conflicted with a flea market, which went ahead as scheduled after the political crowd thinned.

Attendees appeared to skew older and whiter. Movements popular with younger, diverse constituencies such as Black Lives Matter, Ceasefire Now, Democratic Socialism, and the Sunrise Movement have received, at best, a mixed reception from moderate liberals. After years of estrangement, anti-Trump factions may struggle to unite.

A newer liberal group, Bull City Indivisible, helped plan the “Hands Off” rally in Raleigh but not the gathering in Durham. However, Indivisible's national organization created the digital sign-up form. Durham Democrats credited two activists, Julia Borbely-Brown and Christine Barboriak, with organizing the event.

US foreign policy was on the back burner. Palestine or Ukraine received scattered support, but there was no visible protest against the government’s bombing of Yemen or threats of war against Iran. National materials for “Hands Off” events mentioned NATO, but the Western military bloc wasn't a noticeable theme at the Durham event.

The most prominent cause was federal science funding, a key part of Durham’s economy. Many signs and posters supported the NIH and EPA. The Trump administration reportedly plans to dismantle the EPA’s scientific arm, the Office of Research and Development (ORD). Many ORD researchers are based at the EPA's RTP facility, which has around 1,300 employees. Hundreds have recently been laid off from RTI International and FHI 360, which are major Triangle-based nonprofits. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), another crown jewel of RTP, is also cutting jobs. Duke University, Durham’s largest employer, began a hiring freeze in March. In 2024, Duke and RTI received nearly $1 billion in NIH grants, which are now at risk [2].

Organized labor had little visible presence, although a few people wore AFGE shirts. Advocates of class war might have been mollified by chants of “tax the rich” and posters denouncing billionaires.

Progressive rallies are often criticized for a lack of nationalist symbolism. There was little danger of that on Saturday. Across from Pour Taproom, a group held up a 10-foot American flag with wooden supports. Red, white, and blue decorated the edges of homemade posters and some attendees wore flag-patterned plastic cowboy hats. One marcher toted an obscure banner that turned out to be a Bunker Hill battle flag. Another attendee mistook it for Greenland’s flag.

Near the Marriott hotel, someone waved a hammer-and-sickle flag with Donald Trump’s face printed on it. With equal coherence, one marcher carried the flags of three nations - the US, Israel, and Palestine.

If “Hands Off” protests in Durham wished to escalate, the city's recent history provides striking options. In November 2023, Jewish Voice for Peace blocked the Durham freeway, trying to pressure Rep. Valerie Foushee to support a Gaza ceasefire [3]. Similar actions could be used to urge Sen. Thom Tillis to oppose various Trump policies.

The April 5 rally drew less than one percent of Durham’s population. In the last city council elections, voter turnout was only 12 percent. Although the Bull City is considered a progressive bastion, it remains largely depoliticized and disorganized as federal politics head in an ominous direction.

Work Cited

1. DeBruyn, Jason. “Thousands of Anti-KKK Protesters March Through Downtown Durham.” WUNC, 21 Aug. 2017, www.wunc.org/news/2017-08-18/thousands-of-anti-kkk-protesters-march-through-downtown-durham.

2. Snipes, Cameron. “Duke, UNC and One Other Entity Dwarf Rest in Triangle NIH Funding.” Triangle Business Journal, 27 Jan. 2025, www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2025/01/27/duke-unc-nih-funds-grants-healthcare-research-trum.html.

3. Gordon, Brian. “Durham Protest Calling for Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Ends, Freeway Blocked for Hours.” Raleigh News & Observer, 3 Dec. 2024, www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article281363198.html.