How can one trust scholars, or consider them as such, given their failure to bring about reform and their role being limited to issuing fatwas from within their palaces, which generates hatred towards them and a desire to get rid of such feelings?

The fundamental principle is that scholars strive for the benefit of Muslims and to remove humiliation from them, while taking into consideration benefits and harms. What makes you distrust them is that you see them not speaking about what you, or some who advocate for stirring up unrest without awareness, perceive. We do not deny the existence of evil scholars who justify actions for the enemies of Allah, and the saying of Allah the Almighty is true concerning them: (And recite to them the news of him to whom We gave Our verses, but he slipped away from them; so Satan pursued him, and he was among the deviators. And if We had willed, We could have elevated him thereby, but he adhered to the earth and followed his own desire. So his parable is that of a dog: if you attack him, he pants; or if you leave him, he pants). Therefore, we advise you to change your view of the people of knowledge, to draw close to them and benefit from them, for showing enmity towards them is waging war against Allah the Almighty, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever shows enmity to a friend (wali) of Mine, I shall declare war on him." And Al-Nawawi said about Abu Hanifa and Al-Shafi'i: "If the scholars are not the friends of Allah, then Allah has no friends." And Ibn Asakir said: "The flesh of scholars is poisoned, and Allah's custom in exposing the veils of those who disparage them is well-known, for whoever lets loose his tongue against scholars with slander, Allah the Almighty afflicts him before his death with the death of the heart. So let those who oppose His command beware, lest a trial befall them or a painful punishment strike them."