More than 375 people participated in a “Hands Off” protest in Arnold last weekend, despite wet and stormy weather, Jefferson County Democrats chairwoman Jessie Shepherd said.
The protest was one of about 1,200 held across the nation on April 5 to rally against President Donald Trump and his administration’s actions on government downsizing, the economy, immigration and human rights.
“One of my favorite signs I saw said, ‘No sign is big enough to list all of the reasons I am here,’” Shepherd said.
The Arnold protest, organized by the Jefferson County Democrats, Jefferson County Woman Dems and JeffCo Democrats Forward was held on the Church Road overpass above I-55.
Protesters voiced anger over Elon Musk’s actions as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has led to thousands of federal workers being fired.
They also protested the closing of Social Security Administration field offices and other moves that have effectively shuttered entire agencies. They protested against cuts in funding for health programs, the deportation of immigrants and the scaling back of protections for transgender people.
“(The protest was about) the attacks on the Department of Education; the tariffs crashing our economy and stock market; and the disregard of federal court orders declaring things the Trump administration is doing as unconstitutional,” Shepherd said.
“This is unchecked power. It is not anything we have seen in my lifetime from a president,” she said. “I think the boundaries are definitely being overstepped at this point. We have a three-branch system of government for a reason. The Trump administration is acting like they do not have to be held accountable by the judicial branch. That is pretty scary.”
Shepherd said she was pleased with the number of people who joined the Arnold protest and joked that if the weather had been nice, they might have exceeded the bridge’s weight limit.
“It was very cold, wet and uncomfortable, but I think it was important for us to have that short amount of time of being uncomfortable to make a statement and to take a stand,” she said. “If the Trump administration isn’t reeled in soon, a whole lot of people are going to be very uncomfortable when they lose the services they need. Most people have paid into these services and deserve them, especially when it comes to Social Security and Medicare. Those are not a handout. Those are things people earned by working for a lifetime and paying into the system. They deserve to get out what they put into the system.”
Shepherd said the protest was scheduled for noon to 2 p.m. However, just after 1 p.m., many people left following a lightning strike and loud thunderclap.
“At that point, someone said, ‘We need to get off the bridge with this lightning,’” she said. “I guess people took it as it was done and time to go home. I would say after about 1:15 p.m., there were 20 to 40 people who stuck around until 2 o’clock.”
Shepherd said most of the people at the protest were from Jefferson County, although some people came from Washington and St. Francois counties.
She said the protest showed people that they are not the only ones unhappy with the Trump administration, which is especially important since they live in a county where the majority of residents support Trump. In November, Jefferson County residents cast 80,796 votes for Trump and 36,965 for Kamala Harris.
“It seemed like a lot of people who attended the event didn’t realize there were so many people in the area who are like-minded and upset about what this administration is doing to our country right now,” she said. “I think they really needed that togetherness, hope and optimism of knowing they are not alone and people are not just going to sit back and let the administration bulldoze the American people.”