Protest enters third hour, even as rain falls — 2:27 p.m.
By Talia Lissauer, Globe Staff
Another round of rain began to fall as the protest entered hour three.
The crowd remained in the thousands with signs and spirits raised high.
Some people had begun to trickle into the Government Center Station, as the final speaker gave her speech. Others walked on Tremont St., which remains closed.
The protest in Boston.John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
Thousands of people turned out in Boston, and more in other locations in New England.John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
R.I. State Representative Karen Alzate speaks at protest: ‘You will not continue to deport my family, my friends, my neighbors.’ — 2:23 p.m.
By Alexa Gagosz, Globe Staff
PROVIDENCE — Rhode Island state Representative Karen Alzate, who previously told the Globe how she had grown up in the shadow of deportation because her parents were undocumented, spoke before a crowd of thousands at the “Hands Off” protest on Saturday.“
The economy is for us. And we’re here to tell this administration that you will not continue to tax our money to use it for your game,” said Alzate, who also said she is also introducing a bill locally that she said will tax the rich. “You will not continue to deport my family, my friends, my neighbors.”
Rhode Island state Representative Karen Alzate spoke in Providence on Saturday.Alexa Gagosz
In Concord, N.H., a veteran is angry: ‘I didn’t fight for our country for this’ — 2:43 p.m.
By Amanda Gokee, Globe Staff
CONCORD, N.H. – Ken Cowan of Wilmot, N.H., said Saturday was his first time ever participating in a protest.
“I didn’t fight for our country for this,” said the retired veteran, who worked on a submarine during the Reagan administration.
“We can’t sit on the couch and do nothing,” he said. “I know we voted, but it takes more than just voting.”
Cowan, 67, called Trump’s presidency “a coup in progress,” and said he believes Trump is trying to go from being the president to being the king. That’s why he said it was important for him and others to speak out.“
“I think if we can all stand up and voice our opinions, he can’t take over this country,” Cowan said. He came prepared for the rain, with his protest signs affixed to an umbrella he held to stay dry.
‘It’s the things that make us American that are being attacked,’ one N.H. protester says — 1:56 p.m.
By Amanda Gokee, Globe Staff
CONCORD, N.H. – Heidi Preuss, a 64-year-old retiree, came to the “Hands Off” protest against President Trump with her 8-year-old Great Dane, Leila, in tow, both sporting protest signs and undeterred by the afternoon rain.
The rain didn’t keep thousands from showing up to the protest on the State House lawn, spilling out onto nearby sidewalks as attendees joined in chants of “Tax the rich” and musicians played folk songs like “This Land Is Your Land.”
Preuss said she’s stressed out about what’s happening in the country right now.“
The stock market dropped 12 percent in two days,” she said. Beyond economic issues, she’s distressed by how the Trump administration is handling immigration.
“Disappearing people off the street is just insane,” she said. “It is absolutely the most un-American thing. It’s the things that make us American that are being attacked.”
Preuss, who identifies as an independent, said she has never voted for Trump, although she was “happy” with New Hampshire’s former Republican governor, Chris Sununu.
Heidi Preuss and her dog, Leila, joined the "Hands Off" protest against President Trump in Concord, N.H.Amanda Gokee
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