Editor’s Note, April 21, 2025: Organizers let the paper know that the group is no longer meeting weekly and focusing on national days of action instead.
Editor’s Note, April 15, 2025: The info for connecting with protesters was updated.
The weekly protests in downtown Truckee have become a staple on recent Saturday afternoons. Five people showed up at the first one on Feb. 15, and by March 30 the number of participants had blossomed to 129. The impassioned folks with their original signs increasingly crowd the brick sidewalk on the west end of Commercial Row. They don’t plan to stop, and they hope their numbers keep growing and growing.
As Moonshine Ink was headed to press, the April 5 nationwide protest known as the “Hands Off!” march was gaining momentum. Scheduled across all 50 U.S. states, with the main rally in Washington, D.C., protesters gathered to oppose the policies of President Donald Trump and DOGE adviser Elon Musk. Organizers anticipated a nationwide turnout exceeding 600,000 participants across over 1,100 events. But many more showed up. Hands Off! organizers said “millions of people flooded the streets today,” and Alt National Parks Service on its Facebook page reported that its official count was 5.2 million people nationwide.
Truckee resident Nicole Baran was one of the organizers of the local Hands Off! protest, calling herself “just an individual activist helping other individual activists.” A remarkable number of protesters showed up at the weekly gathering spot, an estimated 750. They filled the intersection, lining the streets with high spirits and chants of “Love, not hate, make America great” echoing under the crystal blue spring day.
Baran took a moment to speak with Moonshine.
What do you think the message is with the weekly gatherings?
I think a lot of people feel helpless … They want to do something, but they don’t know what to do. And that is part of what the Trump administration and DOGE are trying to do … they want us to freeze … to get so overwhelmed that we bury our heads in the sand to get by. This weekly action is a way to say that every action matters, whether it’s standing up together as a community or calling your representatives … We can’t be silent in the face of what’s happening.
As [New Jersey Democratic Sen.] Cory Booker said when he stood for 25 hours last week … civil rights and votes for women and Black people didn’t happen with people waiting for others to take a stand. We now need to fight again — for civil rights, national parks, libraries, diversity, equity, and inclusion, social security, Medicare, Medicaid, abortion rights, veterans. Going to a demonstration shows the world and our neighbors that we don’t tolerate racism, sexism, fascism … that we care that our neighbors are being deported without due process and that we’re standing up for them … It’s a place for people to have a moment of solidarity, nonviolently and peacefully.
What are your hopes for the future of this movement in Tahoe/Truckee?
Action is the antidote to despair. Taking these moments of mobilizing … is an opportunity to encourage others and yourself to take weekly action — whether it’s making phone calls, donating to candidates or nonprofits, supporting people who are being oppressed right now. We’re hoping that people … take action beyond [the Hands Off! march].
What’s the response been like from passersby or the broader community?
Very supportive. People are honking in support, and I think this kind of action helps people feel less alone … helps people understand that others feel the same way about wanting to take action to save our democracy.
Connect with local protesters for time and location of demonstrations at tahoetomorrow.com or indivisible.org. ~ MP
