Hands Off Rally: Santa Barbara’s Rally Joins the Nation

On Saturday, April 5^th, community members and local nonprofits including – Santa Barbara Women’s Political Committee, 805 UndocuFund, La Casa de la Raza, and Planned Parenthood Central Coast Action Fund, among others – joined the national “Hands Off” protest that took place in over 1,200 locations throughout all 50 states. Nationwide, the rallies appeared peaceful, with no immediate reports of arrests.

As protesters congregated on the grass at De la Guerra Plaza, the crowd quickly filled the entire green, spilling out onto the surrounding streets in a sea of sign waving in what is estimated to be more than several thousand attendees. The range of impassioned signs expressed the expansive list of policies that have people concerned, including everything from Department of Education and Social Security/Medicare funding, the general DOGE cuts, tariffs, DEI actions, as well as migrant, women, and LGBTQ+ rights.

After several speakers spoke to the crowd at De la Guerra Plaza, rallying the energy of the audience, the stream of protesters continued to proceed down State Street with the Santa Barbara Police Department escorting them and helping direct traffic and intersections. Ultimately the crowd landed at West Beach where a large group spelled out “Hands Off” in the sand. 

Below photos by Robert Bernstein.