Hands (off) across America
For someone who has chosen a vegetarian diet—especially when chosen for ethical reasons—dining out can be an isolating experience, with the majority of restaurants and menus still organized around a culture of omnivores. One can feel surrounded by meat.
Those who got out to an event as part of today’s Hands Off! National Day of Action report feeling less isolated than they did the day before. Share this message with a friend who’s feeling surrounded by cruelty and acquiescence.
It starts in the big cities but it doesn’t stop there.
Keep scrolling.
(Did my best to verify photos as I grabbed them, but have not linked back to their sources. If locations are incorrect, or photos not taken today, I am happy to update the archived post. Photos are missing ALT text captions, but most all show crowds of people assembled for today’s protests.)
New York City
Washington, DC
Downtown Chicago
San Francisco
Boston, Massachusetts
Madison, Wisconsin
Los Angeles, California
St. Paul, Minnesota
Portland, Oregon
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Seattle, Washington
Princeton, New Jersey
Baltimore, Maryland
Des Moines, Iowa
Cleveland, Ohio
Portland, Maine
Orlando, Florida
San Diego, California
Providence, Rhode Island
Salt Lake City, Utah
Omaha, Nebraska
Asheville, North Carolina
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Missoula, Montana
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Anchorage, Alaska
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Duluth, Minnesota
Ithaca, NY
Lansing, Michigan
Lincoln, Nebraska
Belfast, Maine
Ballwin, Missouri
Middletown, Connecticut
Durango, Colorado
Flower Mound, Texas
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Bolivia, North Carolina
Nanuet, New York
Augusta, Maine
And there are so many more. Search for the #handsoff hashtag on your social media platform of choice (yes, even Facebook). Videos capture the numbers of people even better than still images.
Signing off
All the @#$%ing things
Night 45: Subscribed to Heather Cox Richardson’s newsletter
Night 44: Donated to two campaigns for Congress in 2026
Night 43: Looked at projects tracking individuals abducted by ICE
Night 42: Learned more about Louis Armstrong, in his own words
Night 41: Revisited 20 lessons on tyranny
Night 40: Donated to victims of the LA fires
Night 39: Donated to a non-profit disaster alert service
Night 38: Removed Meta apps from my phone
Night 37: Added a new subscription for politics and culture news
Night 36: Catalogued things we know about Memlon Fuchs
Night 35: Described an early MAGA rift
Night 34: The gap between what voters want and what they’re getting
Night 33: An editorial policy of sorts
Night 32: Requesting records when medical claims are denied
Night 31: Things I’ve learned about money laundering
Night 30: Turned to the words of Frederick Douglass
Night 29: Canceled my OpenAI subscription
Night 28: Donated money to three orgs
Night 27: Addressed a hazardous tile floor
Night 26: Picked up trash with the Trash Falcons
Night 25: Learned more about Pete Hegseth than I wanted to
Night 24: Canceled recurring subscriptions I no longer need
Night 23: Dwelt in gratitude
Night 22: Picked up pie from a favorite local business
Night 21: Downsized my clothes closet
Night 20: Increased my monthly contribution to the ACLU
Night 19: Deleted a blog from two decades ago
Night 18: Researched nonprofit board opportunities
Night 17: Contributed to Trans Lifeline
Night 16: Spent time together with loved ones
Night 15: Bought from a not-for-profit online store
Night 14: Refined an icon and wordmark
Night 13: Contributed to the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund
Night 12: Contributed to The Guardian
Night 11: Read, reflected, and rested
Night 10: Sent money to support vaccinations in Nigeria
Night 9: Sent money to a friend in need
Night 8: Gave gifts and spoke words of appreciation aloud
Night 7: Contributed to a California-focused nonprofit newsroom
Night 6: Made homemade donuts for my team
Night 5: Opted into a paid Buttondown tier
Night 4: Reviewed my local election results
Night 3: Deactivated my X account
Night 2: Contributed to my local nonprofit newsroom
Night 1: Started by starting
Words, sorts, thinks, and actions by Chris Ereneta, from Oakland, California. Thanks for reading! Consider forwarding this to a friend! Thoughtful feedback and questions are welcomed at that.often@gmail.com