Apr 05, 2025
BAR HARBOR—At least two locations on Mount Desert Island, as well as in Augusta and Bangor, hosted some island residents who had gathered to peacefully protest, Saturday, April 5. Chalking on the downtown sidewalks of Bar Harbor in solidarity with the protest occurred the day prior.
Indivisible, MoveOn, American Civil Liberties Union, the League of Women Voters, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and several other groups sponsored the mobilization throughout the country to oppose President Donald Trump’s changes to the nation’s health care, education, and Social Security systems.
The Hands Off! gatherings were part of an organized protest, which is intended to be “a nationwide mobilization to stop the most brazen power grab in modern history. Trump, Musk, and their billionaire cronies are orchestrating an all-out assault on our government, our economy, and our basic rights—enabled by Congress every step of the way,” according to its website.
Stand outs (openly protesting or supporting something in a political way even as a lone activist) also occurred across Mount Desert Island at Hulls Cove Beach and the sidewalk in front of the Pemetic Green in Southwest Harbor. Others marched in Augusta chanting, “Tell me what democracy looks like.”
More than 500,000 people had RSVP’d to protests across the nation today. There are more than 1,000 gatherings scheduled of various sizes.
“Let’s talk about Trump’s economic attacks and attacks on our rights,” said Leah Greenberg, the co-founder of Indivisible told the New York Times’ Katie Benner. “They are not different things. They come from an anti-democratic alliance taking over and attacking fundamental parts of our democracy.”
Locally, signs and chalkings referenced tariffs, DOGE, public lands, ICE activities, as well as other institutions such as the postal service, libraries, museums, and the separation of church and state and support of books.
Unless otherwise credited, all photos by Shaun Farrar/Bar Harbor Story.
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