Hands Off protest draws crowds opposing federal cuts

A large crowd of up to 1,000 people converged on Kirby Plaza on April 5 as part of the nationwide Hands Off demonstrations to protest cuts to program funding and personnel across multiple departments in the federal government. MARTIN WILBUR PHOTO

By MARTIN WILBUR

A boisterous overflow crowd filled Mount Kisco’s Kirby Plaza last Saturday morning, April 5, harshly criticizing the cuts in services and personnel throughout the federal government that protestors warn will drastically reduce quality of life.

Led by organized labor, elected officials from across Westchester and community organizations, it was one of about 1,200 Hands Off demonstrations held across the U.S. last weekend to warn of the damage being caused by the reductions made and still planned by President Donald Trump’s administration. Estimates pegged the crowd anywhere from 750 to more than 1,000 people.

“They are trying to defund our institutions, some of our biggest union employers and divide us by race, immigration status, gender,” said Dylan Valle, Hudson Valley district leader for 32BJ SEIU, which represents more than 185,000 building service and security workers and airport personnel. “I’m here to tell you that New Yorkers will never be divided. They’re attacking working people’s rights and propose cuts to healthcare benefits for millions of children, low-income people and seniors.”

Some expressed concern about how the administration is looking to curtail collective bargaining for federal workers in addition to only services and benefits cuts.

In the 17th Congressional District alone, there are nearly 246,000 Medicaid recipients, said Casandra Chen, healthcare advocate at the Healthcare Education Project for 1199, which represents workers in hospitals and medical facilities. She said if there are cuts to Medicaid, they would not only imperil vulnerable citizens and their families, but overwhelm hospitals used by everyone. A surge in emergency room visits could ensue.

Even if there aren’t financial cuts to Medicaid, forcing people to prove that they are working to receive benefits will jeopardize the health of a wide swath of the population, she warned.

“We want a future where everyone can access high-quality care no matter where we live,” Chen said. “We want every mother, every child, every loved one, every elder to get the care that they deserve.”

They and other union representatives were joined by a large throng of people from throughout Westchester and the Hudson Valley, many of whom held signs decrying the administration’s positions on a host of issues, from the planned closure of the White Plains Social Security office at the end of May to cuts in education funding.

Assemblyman Chris Burdick, D-Bedford, who kicked off the lineup of speakers, said it’s critical that large numbers of people send a message to Congress and the White House that swelling numbers of Americans are angry.

“It remains to be seen whether or not they’re going to heed the call from whom they represent or whether they’re going to simply toe the line of what President Trump and his administration want to have happen,” Burdick said.

County Legislator Erika Pierce, D-Katonah, delivered fiery remarks to the crowd, charging that billionaires were setting themselves up for tax cuts on the backs of working-class people.

Recently, she joined other county officials from around the U.S. to protest in Washington, including Republicans who were dismayed at the cuts and other policies that will severely hurt their constituents.

“Everyone was raising their voices in anger – everyone,” Pierce said. “We are not alone. The Republicans know that this is a sham. This is not going to help us. Why? Because we will, every one of us, pay more on our state and local taxes.”

Reduction in federal government funding has already started, causing real-world implications for communities in Westchester and throughout New York, said state Sen. Peter Harckham, D-Lewisboro. Within the past two weeks, there have been about $300 million in healthcare cuts to New York, which resulted in 200 layoffs in the state Department of Health. 

Former Assembly candidate and current White Plains Councilman Jeremiah Frei-Pearson accused the administration of following an ideology that would make life as difficult as possible. When the City of White Plains and Westchester County recently offered to provide space for a new Social Security Administration office, they were rejected. The lease on the current office expires on May 31.

“We will give you free space. What did the Trump Administration say to us? They said ‘no,’” Frei-Pearson said. “They want to close the office.”