On a rare sunny Saturday, protesters marched against the Trump administration on April 5 in downtown Portland. Since the inauguration of President Trump, there have been numerous protests around the city in opposition to his administration. On Jan. 18, hundreds marched at Terry Schrunk Plaza during the People’s March against President Trump’s planned flurry of day-one executive orders, two days before his inauguration. Then, hundreds protested 3 days later at Tom McCall Waterfront Park against what organizers called Trump’s “fascist agenda.” The latter protest also saw five arrests for vandalism.
Prior to and during the 2024 election, news outlets reported plywood barriers were put up around Portland, as individuals and businesses expected citywide outcry, though in the weeks following the announcement of the election results, there was little to no news about damage being inflicted upon local businesses. The protests in Portland have remained relatively peaceful.
Although there have been a number of smaller protests and demonstrations in recent months — including a rally against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Feb. 3, “A Day Without Immigrants” and a protest on March 8, International Women’s Day — the April 5 protest is by and large the most well-attended of the city’s activism in recent months. This protest started at the Japanese American Historical Plaza and looped around both the Burnside and South East Morrison bridges — engaging tens of thousands of attendees in a nationwide anti-Trump movement. At the time of writing, numbers for participants in the protest march have not been tallied, but estimates from attendees ranged from 30,000 to 50,000 people. Official sign ups for the protest through the organization 50501 were stated to be 6,000.
The protest was associated with the nationwide “Hands Off!” movement and organized by local activist groups Rose City Indivisible and 50501 PDX. The 50501 movement, representing “50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement,” has sprouted across the nation, attracting significant support. At the march, protesters wielded signs lamenting the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency and its role in cutting federal funding, Elon Musk’s continued involvement in the Trump administration, the elimination of DEI initiatives and what 50101 volunteers described as “executive overreach.”
One protester, Lewis & Clark student Hope Pellumbi ’25, expressed concern about the administration’s apparent declining respect for individual freedoms.
“This protest is important because not only are we reminding the people of this country what happened … a couple years ago, it seems like it’s a repeat, recurring theme where we’re fast propelling towards a country where we’re in a state of becoming less free,” Pellumbi said.
Demonstrators expressed concern over Trump’s aggressive anti-immigrant policies and mass deportations. Pellumbi shared these fears, worrying that those living currently in the United States as immigrants would not be able to return.
“Some close people I know, who are immigrants, are like, ‘I’m scared,’ and I don’t blame them. Because God knows what happens if they leave the country and then they probably come back and they don’t know if they’ll be able to, like, re-enter or not,” Pellumbi said.
Other signs held during the protest march read “Stop arming Israel,” “Out with Oligarchs,” “Hands off Gaza” and “The fascists are coming.”
Attendee Dianna Goodrich, a retired woman attending the protest march with her sisters, explained that she is fearful of the cuts to social security and upset with Congress’ inaction. Goodrich brought a sign depicting three faces, the leftmost being of Hitler, and the rightmost being of Trump, with the center face blending characteristics from both faces. The graphic is titled “NO DICTATORS HERE.” She explained that her banner was made 12 years ago when she lived in Wyoming.
“No matter how we’ve been pressuring the people that we hired to take care of us, they’re not doing anything. And I live on Social Security, barely. And even with that, I have to live with my sister,” Goodrich said. “We just can’t tolerate these insane cuts, no discourse, no going through Congress, they just have to eff this up.”
Information about the protest was widely circulated on social media, through word of mouth and via posters and zines distributed across the city. Those who are interested in attending future protests and marches can find information on posters downtown, as well as on Instagram accounts such as @50501portlandor and @rosecityindivisable. The 50501 movement’s website lists planned protests and events across the country. The next nationwide protest is planned for April 19.
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