Austin, TX
Thousands protest at State Capitol as part of nationwide 'Hands Off!' movement
AUSTIN, Texas – The steps of the State Capitol were packed shoulder to shoulder Saturday afternoon with protesters.
It was dubbed the “Hands Off!” movement.
What they’re saying:
“When he comes for our democracy, we’re going to say, hands off,” said U.S. Rep. Greg Casar (D).
This fight is a personal one for many of these protesters, like Terri Rogers.
“The national parks are a big issue for me. What they’re doing to the schools is horrifying, and I’m scared,” said Rogers.
Yamile Ueriv, a bilingual teacher, traveled from Manor to represent her students.
“I’ve been teaching for 20 years, and I am concerned about their education,” said Ueriv.
Speakers discussed a wide range of issues, including school vouchers, recent deportations, and mass federal layoffs, but one cause united everyone.
Protesters chanted “fire Elon Musk” over and over.
They are concerned over the role President Donald Trump has given Elon Musk in the Department Of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which aims to slash federal spending.
“It’s the corporations and the billionaires right now that are sort of speaking and not your everyday average American who just wants a roof over their head, be able to send their kids to a good school and to feel safe,” said Ellen Aiken, a Hands Off protester.
The movement drew thousands of people to the Texas State Capitol. On Saturday, the crowds in Austin joined more than 1,200 other locations in all fifty states participating in a Hands Off protest.
“It’s amazing,” said Ueriv. “It’s amazing that other people are coming out and voicing their concerns and advocating for their rights.”
A few Trump supporters like Aaron came in opposition. He was concerned about the attacks on Tesla, including the bomb investigation at a dealership in North Austin.
“I’m not the only one who’s MAGA here,” said Aaron. “I might be one of the few wearing a hat, but just, you know, promoting unity and just people getting along, condemning violence from anybody and everybody because we don’t need any more of that.”
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett also made an appearance.
“I’m going to continue working every day, as hard as I can, and I know you will too because we have no alternative but to defend the country we love,” said Doggett.
After that, protesters said they were ready to get back out and keep working.
“This is my first time to actually get out and protest, and I love the energy, and I love the commonality,” said Rogers. “I feel energized.”
Hands Off protest at the Texas State Capitol in Austin on April 5, 2025.
The protests were peaceful.
This week, Musk said he intends to step down from DOGE if he can reach his spending cut goals in the 130-day time frame permitted by federal law.
The Source: Information in this article comes from FOX7 interviews.
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Department of Public Safety has issued a Silver Alert for an elderly man who has been missing since Friday afternoon in Austin.
The Austin Police Department is looking for Charles Evans, a 73-year-old man diagnosed with a cognitive impairment. Evans was last seen at 5:37 p.m. on Jan. 9 in Austin.
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Police describe him as a 6’3″ tall white male, weighing 225 pounds, has gray hair, hazel eyes, and who uses a walker.
Law enforcement officials believe his disappearance poses a credible threat to his health and safety.
Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is urged to contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-5000.
AUSTIN, Texas – A 20-year-old was arrested and charged with murder for a deadly shooting at the Cambria Hotel in downtown Austin, police said.
What we know:
Police said on Monday, Jan. 5, around 6:55 a.m., officers responded to a report of a gunshot at the Cambria Hotel at 68 East Avenue #824. The caller said a person had been shot.
When officers arrived, they found a man with injuries. He later died at the scene. He was identified as Luke Bradburn.
The investigation revealed that Bradburn drove and crashed a car that belonged to 20-year-old Maximillian Salinas. After the crash, Bradburn and the other people in the car left and went to the Cambria Hotel.
Salinas went to the hotel and shot Bradburn.
On Jan. 6, Salinas was arrested and charged with murder.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Austin Police at 512-974-TIPS. You may submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477.
The Source: Information from the Austin Police Department
Chants of “shame” and “ICE out of Texas” rang through the street as Austin-area activists joined thousands across the nation in protesting the killing of Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot Wednesday by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis.
The protest was held in front of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security building in Pflugerville.
Good, 37, was shot in her SUV while attempting to drive away from several ICE officers who ordered her to exit her vehicle.
Scarleth Lopez with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the organization that led the protest, said the videos of the shooting in Minneapolis were “sickening.”
“Trump has lied and and said that Renee was a terrorist. She was a mother. She was an innocent bystander,” Lopez said. “We must organize to stop these people from kidnapping and murdering.”
Lorianne Willett
/
KUT News
Elizabeth Bope, a retired Pflugerville ISD teacher, said the claims from federal and state lawmakers that Good was attempting to strike the ICE agent with her vehicle inspired her to attend the protest.
Such claims were posted online by Vice President J.D. Vance and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Attorney General Ken Paxton reposted a statement from DHS on X, formerly known as Twitter, that said the ICE agent “relied on his training and saved his own life.”
“It’s beyond really any words that they killed this woman for no reason, but also that they’re lying about it,” Bope said. “I’m not even a radical left person, I’m just a regular old Democrat.”
Other key Texas leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, have not commented on the shooting.
Lorianne Willett
/
KUT News
Doug Tickner, who said he works for a home building company in Austin, said he felt it was important to show up in person for Good.
“I don’t really think of Minneapolis as being that far from here, and it’s not like what happened in Minneapolis was some sort of one off unique event,” Tickner said. “This is part of a pattern, and I feel folks better wake up and realize that this is becoming more and more serious.”
The news that federal immigration officers shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon, broke hours before the protest.
The gathering in Pflugerville is among the first of four anti-ICE demonstrations planned across the Austin area over the next few days.
Earlier on Thursday, protesters gathered at the intersection of 45th Street and Lamar Boulevard during rush hour. A protest on Friday will be held at the Capitol and another will be held Saturday at City Hall.
Lorianne Willett
/
KUT News
State and federal leaders are now sparring over who should conduct an investigation into the Minneapolis shooting, according to NPR.
Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which was originally asked to conduct a joint investigation with the FBI, said in a statement it was later told the investigation would be led solely by federal authorities.
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