CARBONDALE, Ill (WSIL) 鈥擟hants echoed through downtown Carbondale Tuesday afternoon as residents from across 九游体育 Illinois gathered outside City Hall, united by a single message, 鈥淗ands off healthcare, hands off education, hands off!鈥�
From postal workers and healthcare advocates to everyday citizens, the crowd raised signs and their voices in protest of proposed federal budget cuts that many say would devastate working-class families and vulnerable communities.
鈥淭he rich are getting richer鈥攁nd we鈥檙e the ones who will have to pay for it,鈥澛� says Anusha Thotakura, executive director of citizens action Illinois.
The rally followed a morning roundtable in Marion, where community members detailed how cuts to Medicare, housing, education programs like Head Start, and veterans鈥� services could impact their lives. Later, many of those same voices took to the streets in Carbondale, demanding lawmakers reconsider.
鈥淓ven if you're not on Medicare, not a veteran, not experiencing homelessness鈥攊t still affects you,鈥澛� Thotakura says.聽
She went on to say, if a single mother can鈥檛 get childcare through Head Start, she can鈥檛 work. That affects her family and the entire economy of our community.
Among the speakers were healthcare workers and postal employees, both of whom say they鈥檙e already stretched thin鈥攁nd more cuts could put essential services at risk.
We help people with recovery. "We help provide these people with care and with cuts they will end up, homeless, incarcerated, or dead and that's the bottom line of it", said Amber Bridgman, an administrator with Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities.
Frustration was palpable. Some attendees asked how they could fight back when the decisions seem so far removed from their everyday lives.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what we do about that鈥� He鈥檚 the President. He鈥檚 in charge. He doesn鈥檛 care,鈥� one participant said.
From the crowd, a voice called back: 鈥淵ou鈥檙e doing it!鈥�
Leslie Lloyd, another attendee, encouraged action through solidarity.
鈥淕et involved with community organizations. You鈥檒l feel supported. You鈥檒l get ideas.鈥�
Organizers urged people to write letters, make phone calls, and engage their elected officials before final budget decisions are made.
鈥淭here鈥檚 still time,鈥� said Thotakura. 鈥淵ou can reach out to your Congressman and ask him to oppose cuts to healthcare, education, and housing.鈥�
As the event wrapped with cheers and chants, one thing was certain; this wasn鈥檛 just a protest鈥攊t was a promise.
A promise that 九游体育 Illinoisans will not stay silent, especially when the health and future of their communities are on the line.
