Gianna Hayes
News Editor
A handful of Wooster students participated in the “Hands Off! Our Science” National Day of Action on April 5, in downtown Cleveland. The protest comes after the Stand Up for Science Rallies that occurred nationwide on March 7 earlier this year. The initiative was run by Stand Up for Science in partnership with Indivisible, a self-described “grassroots movement of thousands of local Indivisible groups with a mission to elect progressive leaders, rebuild our democracy, and defeat the Trump agenda.” The Stand Up for Science organization was popularized by Hank Green’s March 3 video posted to TikTok and Instagram and by March 7 rallies across the country.
Case Baumwart ’25, Alex Linderman ’25 and Ollie Bream ’25 were among the group of Wooster students who attended the April 5 rally. “I’ve been really enraged at the state of our country recently, and this felt like a good outlet and a way to help remind others that it’s not normal,” Baumwart said in reference to the Trump administration.
While the protest was in collaboration with the Stand Up for Science organizers, science research was not the only reason protestors gathered. “I went because I think the [Trump] administration is doing some really terrible things and … I think it’s really important to go to protests and to contribute to the numbers of the crowd,” Linderman said. Bream also emphasized a desire to build community, saying “it felt like a good way to get with the community who wants to rally and remind you that there are actions you can take on a small scale.”
Protestors gathered outside the West Side Market in Cleveland, with approximately a thousand people standing on the intersection’s corners holding signs while cars honked their support. A police presence regulated traffic, but the road was not blockaded for the demonstration. The protest was broken up occasionally by speakers who specialized in immigration law, according to Bream. Protest songs were also played and protesters shouted chants. There were a few organizations who were also tabling, such as local communist groups.
