Tacoma, Gig Harbor join protests dotting the country Saturday against Trump and Musk
.jpg "Residents protest policies led by Trump and Musk Saturday afternoon, April 5, 2025, in Gig Harbor, Wash. According to protester Loreto Tessicini, the event was organized as part of a nationwide movement called The 50501 Movement or Hands Off! and drew 400 to 500 people.")
Hundreds showed up to protest policies of President Donald Trump and special government employee Elon Musk in Pierce County Saturday, joining scores of other events nationwide organized under the national “Hands Off!” day of action.
The volunteer-organized rally “is our message to the world that we do not consent to the destruction of our government and our economy for the benefit of Trump and his billionaire allies,” sign-up pages for protests in Tacoma and Gig Harbor say. The 50501 Movement, Hands Off! and Women’s March partnered to organize protests nationwide on April 5.
The Hands Off! website says the movement is committed to nonviolent action as a “core principle” and “all hosts and participants are expected to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with their values.”
Gig Harbor resident Loreto Tessicini was holding a sign at the Gig Harbor protest at Point Fosdick Drive and Olympic Drive, from 1-3 p.m. Cars were honking in the background when he called a reporter around 1:30 p.m. to share what he saw.
Most of the folks he’s talked to live “local or close to local,” he said. He was surprised by the turnout and estimated the crowds at 400 to 500 people. Other sources said turnout was high, with estimates ranging up to 2,000 people.
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“There’s a lot of signs, there’s a lot of hooting and hollering,” he said.
Tacoma resident Theresa Power-Drutis was at the protest from 12-3 p.m. at 5310 Pearl Street in Tacoma, near the former site of The Defiant Goldfish tavern at Point Defiance. The Hilltop resident said she’s spent the last two decades working mainly with people coming out of or experiencing incarceration and homelessness. She’s worked or volunteered with organizations like New Connections, Common Good Tacoma and the Tacoma Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness.
She estimated the turnout in the hundreds.
“How could someone not come?” Power-Drutis said, when asked why she decided to participate. “ ... what’s happening to our rights, what’s happening to our personal data, what’s happening to the social safety net is truly not just disheartening, it’s like some kind of nightmarish science fiction book.”
As she reaches 70 years old, Power-Drutis said she could never have believed that an administration could take away people’s rights and protections so quickly. “It’s gut-wrenching,” she said.
Veterans, government employees, people experiencing homelessness and “people serving marginalized groups” were among those who came, according to Power-Drutis.
“At the bare minimum, I want the people who are fighting this ... to know that they are not alone, that the public supports them,” she said.
This story was originally published April 5, 2025 at 4:21 PM.
