Large crowd gathered in the rain at the Pike County Courthouse at Hands Off! protest rally
Milford. Local people spoke about the effects of the government funding cuts the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is implementing.
Milford /
| 09 Apr 2025 | 08:39
Between 300 and 400 people raised their voices at the Pike County Courthouse last Saturday, one of hundreds similar Hands Off! rallies across the county protesting the actions of the Trump Administration. Photos provided by Delaware Valley Action!
Rally-goers expressed themselves with their concerns, observations and opinions with signs and banners.
The crowd outside the Pike County Courthouse on Broad Street in Milford heard their fellow citizens speak about effects of the government funding cuts the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is implementing. Social Security, medical research, healthcare and veterans’ benefits were among those topics.
Rally-goers expressed themselves with their concerns, observations and opinions with signs and banners.
Rally-goers expressed themselves with their concerns, observations and opinions with signs and banners.
Local people spoke about the effects of the government funding cuts the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is implementing.
Between 300 and 400 people gathered in the rain on Broad Street in Milford outside the Pike County Courthouse on Saturday, April 5, to protest actions in Washington, D.C. – shutting down government agencies, implementing tariffs and sparking a Constitutional crisis
The Hands Off! rally was hosted by Delaware Valley Action! (DVA!) and several other local organizations.
“Thousands of dedicated and experienced federal employees from agencies such as the Department of Education, USAID, Department of Agriculture, EPA and many more have been summarily fired without cause,” said Ed Gragert, a local DVA! member. “Like hundreds of thousands of others who will be rallying in Washington, D.C., and across the country, we want to send a message to our elected officials that these actions are neither fair nor saving taxpayer dollars.”
Participants shared their concerns about the economy, which is stagnating and may be headed toward a recession. Retirement funds are being depleted daily. Prices remain high and will go much higher when tariffs result in raising prices on everything people buy, from groceries to cars and houses.
Local people spoke about the effects of the government funding cuts the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is implementing. Among those who spoke were people with personal stories of how they or someone they know have been impacted.
Such as a legal resident who came to the United States 20 years ago for asylum from Guatemala because she was a police officer and her life was threatened by gangs. She went on a trip to Puerto Rico to see a friend and was grabbed upon arrival back and immediately deported to Guatemala.
And such as a former USAID official told of working on life-saving health programs in a number of African Countries. But no longer.
“The mood was energetic, hopeful and very upbeat,” Gragert said. “People left amazed that so many of their neighbors had come out in what was the largest protest event in Pike County history.”
(Delaware Valley Action! is a 501-c-4 non-profit community organization not affiliated with any political party.)