'The government has let us down': Fayetteville rallies for democracy in Hands Off protest

Yahoo

05-04-2025

More than 150 demonstrators gathered at the Market House in downtown Fayetteville this weekend to protest President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, calling the pair a threat to democracy.
The Hands Off rallies were organized nationally, taking place in hundreds of cities across the country April 5, in response to policies that activists say concentrate power, reduce funding for social services and jeopardize civil rights.
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., activists of all ages and backgrounds — veterans, people with disabilities, Baby Boomers and Gen Z — gathered to hold signs and chant in condemnation of Trump and his policies.
Fayetteville City Council member and mayoral candidate Mario Benavente was in attendance and gave a speech to the crowd, saying that although it will take time to make changes in Washington, D.C., actionable change can happen in Fayetteville.
'I need everyone in this room to recognize what's happening in D.C. It's not something that we can change overnight,' said Benavente, who represents District 3 on the City Council. 'What's happening here in our own neighborhoods, in our own communities, we can have a change this summer to make Fayetteville a beacon of progressive values.'
Benavente told the crowd the importance of their voice and pointed out that he sits on the City Council because of a handful of votes.
Benavente won by six votes out of more than 2,000 cast in the district in 2022.
Three officers with the Fayetteville Police Department made an appearance, but only to remind protesters that the use of bullhorns was prohibited.
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Marvin Newkirk, a minister at Fayetteville's Divine Call Ministries, attended the protest to stand up for his son and others who have lost their jobs due to recent executive orders.
Newkirk said his son was hired by the Department of Education in November 2023 but is now unemployed in Charlotte. He was terminated because of the dismantling of the DOE.
'The government has let us down,' he said.
As a minister, he said, he also feels a deeper responsibility to speak out. 'I pray for our elected officials to stand up to this man that is tearing our country up.'
Donna McCaslin, a 70-year-old who has lived in Fayetteville for more than a decade, joined the protest out of concern that American rights and freedoms are being stripped away by leaders she views as illegitimate and out of touch.
'Elon is unelected. As far as I'm concerned, he's not even a citizen,' she said, voicing alarm over what she sees as a shift toward authoritarianism.
As a U.S. Navy veteran and retired educator, McCaslin said she feels deeply betrayed by a system she dedicated her life to. 'You work all your life … to see your rights taken. I feel abandoned,' she said.
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Kat Zietkiewicz, a union president at Fort Bragg and mental health social worker, came to the protest out of concern for how recent executive actions are undermining public service jobs and threatening the stability of military communities like Fayetteville.
While she supports the idea of strong government leadership, she believes the current administration's sweeping decisions lack foresight.
'These massive changes are just not thought out,' she said, citing the elimination of remote work for psychiatrists as one example. 'We can't get psychiatrists to come to Fort Bragg, so now (Trump) did the executive order to remove psychiatrist remote workers ... How are we going to provide medication for our spouses, our children and our anyone, our retirees. This is not helpful.'
A man who identified himself as an Army veteran named Mando entered the Market House chanting 'Trump is your president,' challenging the protest's message.
He told a small group that Democrats prioritize "illegal immigrants" over U.S. citizens, sparking a heated debate with protester Alexander Cunningham over immigration and the wrongful deportation of Maryland father Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador.
A federal judge ruled Garcia's deportation illegal, ordering his return to the U.S. by April 7. However, the Trump administration has appealed, citing lack of jurisdiction and maintaining that Garcia is a dangerous gang member, a claim his lawyers dispute, saying there is little evidence to support it.
Cunningham argued that Garcia's case reflected racism and abuse of power under Trump, while Mando falsely claimed Garcia was a gang member who missed court.
Mando, originally from Los Angeles, told The Fayetteville Observer he came to the rally to challenge what he sees as misplaced priorities.
He said he feels that undocumented immigrants are receiving aid while veterans and low-income Americans are left behind.
'I'm an American citizen, I pay taxes, I do so many things, and now I'm getting rejected by the government,' he said. 'Now you have all these illegal immigrants just coming like nothing, and you're like, dude, like, that's not fair for the other people who are doing it right.'
Derrick Montgomery, chairman of the Cumberland County Democratic Party, also spoke to the crowd and emphasized unity and the importance of standing up for justice.
"I don't know your name, and many don't know mine, but I know your struggle," he said.
He highlighted that the rally represented people from all walks of life.
"Whether we're wealthy, middle class, unhoused, veterans, or families with disabilities, we do not sit in silence," he said.
Montgomery urged the crowd to set aside personal prejudices and come together for a common cause, channeling Martin Luther King Jr., "A threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
Government Watchdog Reporter Claire C. Carter can be reached at [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Hands Off rally: Fayetteville, NC condemns Trump and Musk