April 5 – par-newhaven.org

Poetry into Power, as Hundreds Rally on the Green

April 26, 2025 admin

by Lucy Gellman, April 6, Arts Paper

Aaron Jafferis’ words floated over the New Haven Green, wrapping a few hundred people in their sound. Air / I am taking as many deep breaths as you can spare now / Cause they’re gutting our clean energy and air now, he started. A few feet away, Witness to Hunger Kim Hart breathed in, a cold tightness in her chest when she thought about the last two months. So, our lungs are gonna need great healthcare now / But they’re tearing that down too, it’s not fair now!

Photo: Lucy Gellman

A sign that read “WE THE PEOPLE WE THE MILLIONS” bobbed against the cloudy sky, undeterred by the drizzle. Jafferis pressed forward, tying healthcare to benefits for veterans like his dad, to life-saving cancer research and LGBTQ+ rights, to public land and the performing arts. Get your hands off park rangers / And artists’ passionate hearts! he read, a growl at the very edge of his voice, and the crowd went wild.

That broad, sometimes staggering survey (and often, indictment) of the current political landscape defined Saturday’s “Hands Off” rally and march in New Haven, part of a national day of action aimed at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and President Donald Trump in his second term in office. Held beneath a low-hanging, spitting gray sky, the event brought hundreds to the heart of downtown to both listen and speak out against what they see as a precipitous dismantling of Democracy.

[See article in its entirety at bit.ly/3Ex8SKT]

Activism

Impressions of the Rally on the New Haven Green on April 5

April 26, 2025 admin

by Allan Brison, former New Haven Alder

I got to the rally after it had already started. By the time I got to the Green, and had walked around some, it was in full swing. As I walked around, I had two main impressions.

First, the rally was huge. Of all the many rallies and demonstrations that I have attended in my thirty years in New Haven, this was the biggest. I estimated that there were at least 1,000 folks. I later heard on the news an estimate that two thousand folks had attended.

There were many folks, about a dozen, that I had spoken to and knew were planning to attend. The crowd was so large that it was a good hour before I saw any of these folks. And I didn’t see or connect with anyone else until I started communicating with some by cell phone.

My second impression was about the number of signs people had and the wide range of issues addressed by these signs. Virtually everybody was carrying a sign denouncing one or another of the issues that President Trump was addressing. From demands against the Gay and Transgender communities, and against trade unions and collective bargaining, to Trump’s ridiculous ideas of the takeover of Greenland, and making Canada the 51st state. Also, the condemnation of Elon Musk and his role in the Trump presidency was a prominent theme. DOGE was widely condemned in the signs people were exhibiting.

All in all, attending this rally was a great experience.

Activism

April 5 Is the National Day of Resistance

March 27, 2025 admin

by Henry Lowendorf, Greater New Haven Peace Council

Friends,

On Saturday, April 5, I’m attending Hands Off’s events, “Hands Off! Protect our Democracy! Stand Up & Fight Back!” – sign up at handsoff2025.com to join me!

The Big One is in Hartford, 3 p.m. at the CT State Capitol, 210 Capitol Ave.

Around the country on April 5, Hands Off events can be the biggest showing ever that we will not play doormat to the destruction of our country by Trump/Vance/Musk and their lackeys in Congress to further enrich the billionaires.

We will RESIST all attacks on any of us, on our human rights.
Hope to see you there,

Henry

List of Hands Off Events in Connecticut: