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Alice Brandon has been crying a lot lately.<\/p>\n
The Logan Square resident was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer at 39, and told she had a 20% chance of surviving. That was until a federally funded research program led to the creation of a drug that increased her chances by more than four times. <\/p>\n
As she watches federal funding for medical research, cancer drugs like the one that saved her life included, Brandon, now in her 50s, can\u2019t help but be distraught. <\/p>\n
She was among the thousands who took to Daley Plaza Saturday, later marching down LaSalle Street and then up to State Street, at a \u201cHands Off\u201d protest organized by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Indivisible Chicago, Equality Illinois, the Chicago Federation of Labor and others. Organizers said more than 30,000 people marched Saturday to rally against Trump and billionaire CEO Elon Musk. At its peak, the protest spanned at least eight city blocks. <\/p>\n
It was one of more than 1,200 \u201cHands Off!\u201d demonstrations planned by more than 150 groups in all 50 states<\/a>, including civil rights organizations, labor unions, LBGTQ+ advocates, veterans and elections activists. Several were also planned in the suburbs, many in Democratic strongholds outside the city, including Joliet, Rockford, Highland Park, Lisle and others.<\/p>\n Thousands rally in downtown Chicago Saturday to protest the Trump administration and billionaire CEO Elon Musk.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The protests took aim at Trump\u2019s recent policy actions that have hit home in Illinois, including: the firing of thousands of federal workers<\/a>, raids targeting legal citizens and immigrants<\/a>, attempts to remove protections for transgender people<\/a> and federal funding cuts to local health programs<\/a>, medical research<\/a> and city arts programs<\/a> \u2014 in addition to worries over changes to Social Security<\/a>. The administration has also slashed jobs <\/a>overseeing the Head Start program, leaving about 28,000 children in Illinois alone \u2014 as well as their parents and caretakers \u2014 in limbo while making significant cuts to the Department of Education<\/a>.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s recently announced tariffs against major U.S. trade partners roiled the stock market, which took its worst tumble since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and sparked a global trade war<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIn just a few short months, Donald Trump and Elon Musk have slashed thousands of jobs, gutted worker protections and destabilized the entire economy,\u201d said Bob Reiter, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor. \u201cWe will not allow Trump and Musk to loot our government and shred our economy for their own personal gain, and we will not sit by while they destroy critical services and the dedicated workers who provide them.\u201d<\/p>\n Being at Saturday\u2019s protest was personal for Brandon. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t be here without federal funding for cancer research,\u201d Brandon said. <\/p>\n Brandon is facing the brunt of Trump\u2019s decision on multiple fronts. Her husband, an EPA worker in Chicago, has been spared from recent cuts at the agency but fears for the future as they see their retirement investments dwindle. She works for the Cook County Forest Preserves, which also receives federal funding, particularly for youth job programs and cleanup projects. <\/p>\n \u201cIf that money dries up, it just hurts local people,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Contributing: AP<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n