Thousands gathered in front of the Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services on Billingsley Road on Saturday to protest the first three months of President Donald Trump's second term.
The "Hands Off" demonstration was organized by volunteers with Indivisible CLT in coordination with national progressive groups that organized hundreds of protests in other cities around the country.
Protesters rallied in front of the county building, then marched down Billingsley and Randolph roads. The crowd was so large that Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers shut down both roads to maintain safety during the march.
CMPD Lt. Wayne Goode, who coordinated the police response, told WFAE there were no incidents during the protest, and the demonstration remained peaceful. There were no counter protesters visible at the demonstration.
Heavy focus on federal spending cuts
Speakers at the Charlotte event placed heavy emphasis on the Trump administration's cuts to federal programs and the federal workforce, and possible cuts to Medicaid under a Republican-approved spending bill.
A Charlotte mother, Becca Smoot, spoke to the crowd through tears about how she relied on Medicaid to care for her daughter, Ella, who was born disabled 13 years ago this week. She said her daughter was nonverbal, uses a powerchair and receives nutrition through a feeding tube.
"Families like mine are now living in fear that this critical support will be slaughtered with the swing of a chainsaw," she said. "Our lives are not just numbers on a budget sheet."
Republican lawmakers have said cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security are off the table, but the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has said it would be near impossible not to cut into Medicaid or Medicare under a budget outline passed by House Republicans this year.
Anger with Trump, Elon Musk and Jefferson Griffin
Other speakers on Saturday dragged the Trump administration for rolling back protections for immigrants and transgender people, laying off tens of thousands of federal workers, and canceling research grants.
Annelise Mennicke, a UNC Charlotte researcher, said she had been co-leading a project researching better counseling options for LGBTQ victims of sexual violence, until her team's $450,000 grant was canceled last month by the National Institute of Health.
"We cannot let Elon Musk, DOGE and Donald Trump set the scientific research agenda for our country," she said.
Protesters also directed their anger toward Jefferson Griffin, the Republican candidate for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court, who appeared to have lost the race to the Democratic incumbent, Allison Riggs, but has since been asking the courts to throw out more than 65,000 votes over alleged irregularities in voter registrations.
Part of a national day of protests
Organizers with Indivisible CLT said the Charlotte protest was among 25 protests happening Saturday around North Carolina, including in cities such as Greensboro, Winston-Salem and Raleigh, as well as smaller towns like Cornelius and Hickory, where organizers said some 550 people marched down Hickory City Walk to City Hall.
At least five protests were also scheduled Saturday in South Carolina. They included Anderson, Columbia, Myrtle Beach, Summerville and Rock Hill — where organizers said an estimated 500 people rallied on the corner of Dave Lyle Boulevard and East Main Street.
Ava Williamson, deputy director of Invisible CLT, said more than 3,500 people had registered to attend the Charlotte protest. The actual attendance far surpassed that.
She said she hoped Saturday's protest would leave people feeling more optimistic about their collective power.
"I hope that people see that no one's coming to save us," Williamson said. "We have to save ourselves, and together, we can do this."
