Hands Off! protest in Battle Creek was an all-hands-on-deck moment

Editor’s note: This story is part of Southwest Michigan Second Wave’s On the Ground Battle Creek series.

Please click the link on each person’s name to view protestors in action and video interviews. To see additional photos, please check out the carousel above.

BATTLE CREEK, MI — Phil Wilkins says the principles of duty, honor, and country that he learned in the military must be defended. On Saturday, he came armed with a homemade sign and joined with more than 300 people who lined the Beckley Road corridor to protest against what he sees as the current administration’s lack of the principles he stands by.

“I’m here today to support my local union and my fellow Department of Defense civilian employees, and the War Fighter and NATO and everyone we support from allies to the American Public,” Wilkins said while writing his message on a piece of poster board laying on the liftgate of his truck of his presence at Battle Creek Hands Off! peaceful protest.

The protest in Battle Creek was one of thousands of Hands Off! protests that occurred on Saturday in cities throughout the United States.

A software developer for the Department of Defense (DOD), Wilkins works at Battle Creek’s Hart Dole Inouye Federal Center which was on a list of hundreds of government-owned buildings that could be sold, according to information on the Government Services Administration (GSA) website.

That list, which was available in early March, has since been taken down, according to Congressman Shri Thanedar who represents Michigan’s 13th District.

Wilkins says governmental organizations and taxpayers are being gutted based on behind-the-scenes lies and deceit for the fiscal principles the current administration focuses on maintaining.

“There’s no rhyme or reason for everything happening. It’s just being done for effect and there’s no statistics or principles behind the decisions for firing people on the basis that they’re easy to fire and they’re not protected,” he says. “The administration is doing this on the principle of saving money which doesn’t seem right to me as an American. This is undermining the stability of not only the government and its ability to function but also our support for our war fighters which is our primary responsibility in the Department of Defense.”

What brought Wilkins out to take a stand on Beckley Road was among one of hundreds of reasons expressed by his fellow protesters.

The messages on the mostly handmade signs being held by those lining both sides of Beckley Road reflected concerns about everything from cuts to social security and Veterans benefits to the dismantling of LGBTQ rights and immigrant rights.

Lois Parr, a Christian Pastor from Albion, noted the many different issues represented at the protest. She said people are asking what they can do at a time when finding hope and joy is a challenge.

For Robin Boyle, a sensory scientist, the protest was a family affair. As she stood with her four-year-old son, Ethan, snuggled in a pack on her back he talked about the importance of protecting democracy. 

Her mother, Linda Boyle, who was visiting from Boston, carried a sign that said “Hands off My Retirement” and said it would take unity to create the change protesters are calling for. She said the Battle Creek protest was her first and likely not the last.

Yarely Fernandez, an 8th grader at Lakeview Middle School, said she appreciated standing with people who support what she believes in. 

While Yarely was energized by the crowd surrounding, Linda Pell, former chairperson of the Calhoun County Democratic Party, was surprised to see so many people she had never seen before come together to be present with each other.