More than 500 people attended the April 5 protest at the Andrews Federal Building in Opelika, according to an unofficial count given by Kristin Hinnant, one of the volunteer organizers of the protest.
From approximately 9 to 11 a.m., participants protested against U.S. President Donald J. Trump, his administration and South African billionaire Elon Musk while also advocating for things like LGBTQ+ rights, immigrant rights, veteran services, free speech and cancer research.
Known as the "Hands Off!" movement, the Opelika protest is one of many that occurred across the nation on April 5. Those in attendance at the Opelika protest varied across all age groups, with infants to older citizens peacefully protesting. No violence occurred during the demonstration, with less than five community members showing opposition during the protest.
The protest was organized by Indivisible, a progressive organization founded in 2016 in response to the first election of Trump, alongside 50501 and MoveOn. The groups took on a grassroots approach, with volunteer activists spearheading the planning and execution. The protests were planned nationwide in over 1,200 locations.
A grassroots movement is a social or political movement led and driven by regular citizens instead of politicians or influential figures.
Hinnant has lived in the Auburn-Opelika area for more than 10 years. Before moving to start a family with her husband, Hinnant lived in Washington, D.C. and worked as a producer for the Discovery Channel.
More than 250 protestors lined the sidewalk at 9:00, with many holding up signs of what they were there for. Once the protest officially began, participants exclaimed the chants of “hands off our rights," proceeded by “love not hate makes America great.” Other chants included the inquiry of the whereabouts of Mike Rogers, the U.S. Representative of Alabama's third congressional district. One of Rogers’ offices presides in the Andrews Building.
In attendance was Kathy Ziemann, who has lived in the Auburn-Opelika area for more than 20 years. She has a special needs son, works for Veterans Affairs, is a Christian Democrat and an Auburn University class of 2000 graduate.
“We can't wait for someone else to get up and do something. I also know a little bit of history. Look at Montgomery and [the Bloody Sunday civil rights march at Edmund] Pettus Bridge, those folks faced death for their rights,” Ziemann said. “You know, I often say too many people have died in too many places, and in too many ways, for us not to vote and not to protest.”
60 years ago, hundreds of Americans in support of civil rights marched 54 miles from Selma to Montgomery to speak with Alabama Gov. George Wallace after the murder of 26-year-old civil rights activist Jimmie Lee Jackson. The non-violent activists marched to Montgomery in support of the right to vote for Black Americans, ending segregation and highlighting the violent racial injustices done to activists like Jackson.
In the first of three protest marches, around 600 protesters marched out of Selma through U.S. Highway 80 on March 7, 1965. The march remained peaceful until the marchers crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, a bridge in Selma named after the former state senator, Confederate general and “Grand Dragon” of the Alabama Ku Klux Klan, Edmund Pettus.
Upon crossing the bridge, a wall of state troopers and townspeople blocked the highway. The police began to attack the marchers, beating them with clubs and spraying tear gas into the crowds.
The attack on peaceful civil rights activists by white officers and townspeople ignited widespread shock and discourse after the assaults were televised across the United States, giving the name of the event, “Bloody Sunday.”
Ziemann also felt having the right to protest and not actively standing for what one believes in invalidates the changes made by previous Americans.
“As a disabled vet, I also know a little bit about disability rights, and like those folks were in their wheelchairs, and chained themselves and the wheelchairs to each other, and then at one point, a 10-year-old girl climbed up the stairs on her hands and knees. Come on, we can’t dishonor them if we don't do something,” Ziemann said.
The “Capitol Crawl” was a catalyst for the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prevented discrimination against those with disabilities in the areas of public accommodations, employment, transportation, housing and accessibility. The law was introduced to Congress in 1988, but stalled for two years.
On March 12, 1990, more than 1,000 people marched from the White House to the U.S. Capitol to demand that Congress pass the act. Once at the steps of the Capitol, approximately 60 demonstrators put aside their crutches, wheelchairs and other mobility aids and began making their way up the steps.
The youngest to make her way up was eight-year-old Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, who removed herself from her wheelchair and made her way to the top. The trek for all was long, laborious and harrowing, but it sent a message of empowerment of disabled Americans.
President George H.W. Bush signed ADA into law on July 26, 1990.
For Lee, a protestor who requested their last name not be shared to protect their employment, the protest felt like a bigger way to show state representatives how citizens feel under the current administration.
“I'm here because I feel like this is our duty as Americans, because I feel that everyone's rights and freedoms are kind of on the table right now. You know, there have been things cutting back. For example, public lands, health care, Medicaid, Social Security,” Lee said. “We all saw our 401K's like, tumble hugely this week because of the tariffs. And I feel like this is a time for all Americans. It's not red or blue, it's an American thing, if we want a government that's by the people and for the people, now is the time to step up.”
On April 2, 2025, also known as “Liberation Day,” Trump’s announcement of blanket 10% tariffs on all imported goods and additional import taxes placed on 60 other countries stunned U.S. and global stock markets, causing noticeable dips in people’s 401k investments.
To those in younger generations who feel it is difficult to navigate through today’s political landscape, Lee encouraged them to vet their news sources carefully and to not give up.
“Don't just sit around and wait on somebody else to pick up the baton and carry it. I mean, this is your country, and even though it's easy to feel disenfranchised and that no one's listening, just keep at it,” they said. “Just keep getting your message out there – it does matter, and for Heaven's sake, vote.”
Members of the Lee County Democratic Party, including the organization's Chair Jamie Lowe, were in attendance.
“I'm here because I'm mad like this about 250 other people [here at 9:15 a.m.]. You know, I think what we see here today is similar to what we've seen across the country. Yes, Donald Trump won this past election, yes Republican parties have won this past election, but that doesn't give them rights to undue democracy,” Lowe said. “In the case of Mike Rogers, I've been chair of this party now for about six years. I've been in part leadership for a little longer than that, and he's never shown up to anything. He does not give one grip about his constituents. And so, you see, [this protest] is the consequence of being ignored perpetually. There are fundamental things that are awry in this country. Veterans are being taken advantage of. The social safety net in the form of Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security are being called into question. People are frustrated, furious.”
While Lowe spoke with The Auburn Plainsman, protestors began chanting, “Delete DOGE.” The Department of Government Efficiency is run by acting administrator Amy Gleason and South African billionaire Elon Musk. Though Gleason is technically in charge of DOGE, Musk acts as the public face of the organization.
Since DOGE’s enaction on Jan. 20, 2025, hundreds of jobs at federal agencies like the U.S. Agency for International Development, Department of Education and Social Security Administration have been laid off. DOGE's efforts have also left multiple federal grants in research vulnerable.
“You know, this unelected, unappointed billionaire taking over the entirety of the federal government is just absolute lunacy. We've never in American history seen anything remotely close to this,” Lowe said. “And so it is time for people to take a stand. And these people are energized and ready to do that.”
Warren Tidwell is an executive director and a part of the board of directors for the Alabama Center for Rural Organizing and Systemic Solutions, a nonprofit founded in 2023 in the aftermath of a devastating natural disaster in Camp Hill, Alabama. The organization’s purpose expanded to help co-create thriving communities with self-sufficiency, adaptive capacity, meaningful labor and strong families.
“We've been affected by the federal fund freeze. We've been affected by the USDA cuts. It's part of the reason I'm here today,” Tidwell said.
In March 2023, a historic hailstorm and the following thunderstorm devastated the Camp Hill community. Hail roughly two inches in size pelted the town, leaving damage to homes and cars. Once the hail had stopped, rain caused flooding in the town.
“We're just trying to help people fix their homes. We just need to know something. And so essentially, right now we're in a holding pattern, but that doesn't do any good for our seniors who take advantage of the food pantry. The ones who need these repairs. These are older homes. Hard to insure so we had to find something, you know, that would allow us to not only help them recover, but to be better off,” Tidwell said.
Outside of protesting, Hinnant encouraged citizens to call their representatives to voice their concerns.
“The biggest thing that they can do right now is call their representatives. Call them every single day. You can use a website like 5 Calls to help figure out who your representatives are, and then just badger them,” Hinnant said. “It takes barely any effort to make a phone call, and that can really make a difference. People are tracking who is calling and what they want to talk about, and eventually we'll wear them down.”
Opelika Indivisible invited Rogers to a town hall meeting at the Opelika Public Library on April 24 from 6 to 8 p.m.
“We're still waiting to hear back. Other groups in the area have been doing this — trying to invite him to town halls, and he hasn't been to one since 2017 and that was the only one he's held in his over 20 years in this position, so I really hope the protest got his attention. I hope he recognizes that his constituents want to speak with him, and I really hope he shows up to take accountability,” Hinnant said.
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Michaela Yielding is a senior in journalism currently serving as the news editor. She has been with The Auburn Plainsman since fall 2023.
