"It's The 250th Anniversary Of The Revolutionary War, That Means Nothing To Trump"

PALOS HILLS, IL — Protesters stood outside in the pouring rain on Friday to show support for the staff working inside the Social Security building at 10708 S. Roberts Road, Palos Hills. The group was there to send one loud, clear message: “Hands off of Social Security.”

The “Hands Off Of Social Security” call to action was one of many that took place last week in 23 states in the wake of Social Security field office leases being terminated. About 12 percent of SSA’s workforce – 7,000 jobs – has been slashed by the Department of Government Efficiency headed billionaire Elon Musk, a senior Trump advisor. The Social Security Administration oversees retirement benefits for 73 million Americans.

“We’re so angry. I’m angry too, but it’s good mental days,” said the Palos organizer, who asked that their name not be used because of all the “hate droppings” they’ve been getting on Facebook.

One person called it “a cry baby rally against Trump.”

Another posted: “Why do libtards believe the lie? Trump, thank god [sic] is cutting waste and fraud.”

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The organizer told Patch their main concern in organizing Friday’s grassroots call to action was about Americans’ confidential data being exposed to “Musk and his teen hackers.”

“That is my main impetus – the invasion of privacy.”

A woman leaving the Roberts Road office’s parking lot rolled down her window and yelled, “morons” at the crowd.

“When I think of the privacy protected in that little building,” the organizer told Patch. “You have a ticket number. Your name is not called. She just received a service in that building, and she’s so preoccupied with us.”

Palos Heights-resident Tim Smith said he was standing in the rain holding a dripping wet sign because he thinks President Trump “is a vindictive little shit.”

“I’m concerned that other people might lose their benefits,” Smith continued, who recently, along with his wife, started receiving benefits. “I don’t think we’re in bad shape as far as benefits are concerned. But I think it might be you can’t have your benefits because of firing a bunch of people, and those left can’t handle the requests.”

Lorraine Swanson | Patch

Smith’s wife, Lynne Taylor, said they were able to get a complicated issue resolved concerning her mother’s Social Security benefits at the Roberts Road SSA office.

“They were very helpful,” Taylor said. “My mother needed to apply for a combat veteran’s benefit. Now, it will take two years or more to get something and if the person dies in the meantime, you won’t get anything.”

Both think Trump wasn’t that bad the first time around because “he had people around to say no to him and nobody took his threats seriously.”

“Their game is to make it so difficult to get our benefits that you’ll just give up,” Taylor said. “It’s not saving them money. They’ve spent more in the last 100 days.”

A retired SSA employee named Anne said she hadn’t heard of any plans to close the Roberts Road field office – yet. Most of the field offices being shut down are in rural areas. Anne told Patch she was there to represent Social Security Administration employees and recipients across the system.

“So far it’s the agency that’s being torn apart, not the benefits, but the benefits are certainly at risk,” Anne said. “The expertise is either just being told to leave, or are leaving because they can’t stand it. [Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek] knows nothing about Social Security. It takes years and years to learn the system.”

Almost all of Friday’s 30 protestors were older, many collecting Social Security benefits themselves. Yet all of them told Patch it was important enough to stand in the pouring rain under umbrellas.

“I thought I had to do something,” said a Palos resident named Roseann, who thinks Trump is taking away too much power. “You just can’t pluck people off the street without trials, you can’t cut research and funding and tell universities who to fire.

“It’s the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War. That means nothing to Trump.”