20-04-2025
Nationwide ‘Hands Off' protests continue in East Tennessee
BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — The nationwide 'Hands Off' movement continued Saturday, including here in East Tennessee. People gathered outside of the Blount County Courthouse to protest against the Trump administration.
Over four hundred protestors gathered in Maryville with signs, hoping to send a message to President Trump and his administration.
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'We just want to bring back kindness. Kindness needs to make a comeback,' said Wendy Tittsworth with Blount County Indivisible.
In Blount County it all started with Mel Pierce joining the nationwide 'Hands Off' movement.'I heard that there was nationwide protests going on. I didn't see one for my county, so I decided to just start making a post, putting it out there, thinking maybe 15 people would show up. And that day we ended up having about 300. So that was pretty great. But that kind of kickstarted a movement with the people in the area,' explained Indivisible Tennessee organization has now started a Blount County chapter.'There are so many people out in the world, and there are a million different schools of thought, a million different ways of thinking, a million different ideas. And when you go out and speak out for what you think is important, it gravitates you toward people who make you feel understood. It could be for anything. It doesn't matter if it's politics or whatever it is, it just builds community and that's important,' added Tittsworth.
Protestors say they plan to keep 'fighting for democracy' until they see change. President Trump hasn't commented on Saturday's protests, but when asked about hands off protests earlier this month, the White House said, 'President Trump's position is clear: he will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries.'
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'It affects change. We know that it's going to take 3.5% of Tennessee to show up for a change to be affected. So, we're talking 250,000 people in the streets. That's what we're trying to do. That's our goal: 250,000 people in the streets,' said Sanyiah Cathcart on the leadership team with Indivisible Tennessee
Indivisible Tennessee tells 6 news that more protests in Blount County and other areas in East Tennessee have already been planned for the near future, including one Friday in Knoxville.
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