0. Preamble
So, the protest on April 5th just finished, and it was wildly successful. Some estimates put attendance at 5.2 million—which is record breaking. The very next day, 50501's official communication platforms announced a national protest on the 19th. But now, they've seemingly backtracked to saying it’s a "day of action." I get it; absolutely everyone is itching to get out there again as soon as possible. I really want to see that happen as well, but there's more going on that people need to be aware of.
NOTE: Screenshots of Discord posts have user IDs censored as this subreddit is very public, and thus prone to information being used negatively and out of context.
1. How 50501 Operates
50501 is a decentralized grassroots organization. The entire idea started with a Reddit post and picked up enormous traction within a timespan of two months, culminating with 50 states protesting on one combined day of action... and now we’re trying to do it again, and again, and again. In the United States, beyond George Floyd’s death leading to the BLM protests, that kind of mass mobilization just doesn't happen.
But you guys are already well aware of why things have accelerated that quickly.
50501 does not organize from the top down. From here on, I will refer to the group coordinating national days of protest simply as "National." They have minimal resources. They collaborate and communicate with everyone doing groundwork in different states, but they are not the ones responsible for making events happen near you. They simply get everyone on the same page.
So, the people who are responsible for ensuring a protest happens in a state - your state! - or local city are the people in those states/cities. If Topeka, Kansas, doesn't have anyone there who can pull permits and plan the event, a 50501 event doesn't happen there. If the only organizer in Topeka is sick, or worn out, or has a family funeral that weekend... can you guess the outcome?
2. The Local Impact
As an example, in my home state, California, there are effectively two distinct (generalized) groups of organizers trying to do work for the entire state. Those doing work in Southern California, and those doing work in the geographically superior ;) Northern California. Central California also has organizers now, but just like the middle child, they're going to be ignored in this write-up.
However, let's zoom further in:
The organizer who's currently doing most (if not all) of the work in San Jose (in Northern California) has been swamped with responsibility and a lack of volunteers since 2/17 (when I first got involved). If they hadn’t taken the mantle of effort on themselves, I don't know if San Jose would've had 50501 events on these last few major national protest days.
This isn't a unique story across the United States - in fact, I know it isn't. Here's an incredible post written by an organizer in Georgia. It outlines many of these same concerns from an organizer's perspective.
How about another local tidbit from Sacramento (our state capital)? Organizers have previously discussed that the average cost of renting out porta-potties for protest events in that city is about $1,000. That is $1,000 that Sacramento wouldn't have if it weren't donated, despite the frequency with which people ask if there will be porta-potties at an event.
People frequently joke that they wish they were being paid for protesting, but the financial reality of having nearby bathrooms (a necessity for some) is that unless people are able to contribute, those things can't happen. Sacramento's 50501 group is quickly running out of money. Blowing through $1,000 (at a minimum) every time you host a major event quickly drains your resources.
3. The Bottom Line
Things have accelerated so quickly that the same organizing groups managing the crowds of hundreds of people in different major cities are now accounting for tens of thousands in MANY major cities ACROSS THE U.S. That's both an incredible accomplishment and an immense burden for everyone on the ground.
I’m not speaking for 50501 officially. This is only my informed assumption, but I believe that 50501's National channels backtracked on the 19th being a "national day of protest" because multiple organizers are overwhelmed after months of continuous work on top of their existing lives.
"A month ago in GA, we had about 30 volunteers including about 6 marshals and 6 medics. That was pretty good for an event of 500 people. On 4/5, we had ~25 marshals and ~15 medics. For 20,000+ people. Our volunteer numbers were up 4x in a month, but our attendee numbers were up 40x. WE DESPERATELY NEED VOLUNTEERS!" - u/David50501GA
The reality is that in order to both attract and maintain the record-breaking numbers that people want to see, a lot of work needs to be done to support that mass amount of people.
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People want there to be porta-potties... but don't know how to/don't want to donate to their state organizers to ensure that happens.
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People want there to be protests on the weekends so that they don't have to skip work... but then others are upset that politicians aren't in office on the weekends when we DO have a big weekend march.
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People want protests to be more frequent and longer... but they don't volunteer to help make that happen.
Seriously... if you weren't involved in the community a month or so ago, then you have no idea how frequent the requests for weekend protests were.
4. Where the Hell Are You Getting All of This Information?
Honestly? I’m just actively looking for where stuff is happening. I’m reading what the organizers are writing, and keeping up-to-date on things.
I decided to write this up after realizing that many people were joining 50501 and getting as far as the subreddit before getting lost or frustrated. Next-to-none of the actual organizing work, beyond awareness and free-form discussion, happens here on Reddit.
No, the real shit happens either on the Discord (which is much more public due to its format) or in Signal channels between organizers (it’s a messenger app, so including more than a few people in a group is impossible).
Do you want to know how the next date (4/19) was actually chosen? The link was posted in the Discord, publicly. Practically everyone who was in a 50501-related Discord channel or group saw it and could vote on it, and the overwhelming result was 4/19. More polls are going up for future dates as well. Feel like voting? I did!
Also, if you're understandably worried that Reddit has been compromised... as an alternative, try joining 50501's Lemmy instance. The format is very similar to Reddit, without the corporate/government-aligned bullshit Reddit is currently pulling.
5. We Need YOUR Help, and We Need It NOW
But even saying organizing is happening "on the Discord" is understating it. That implies that the main 50501 Discord server is the only one people use to organize. Couldn't be further from the truth. California, for instance, has (at least) two servers. There’s one for general 50501 work and communication, and another for organizers to more thoroughly plan and communicate without having a mess of different channels in one server alone.
Furthermore, 50501 NorCal hosts "town calls" in their public server, where they go over organizational efforts, bring in speakers to talk about concerns, propose ideas to implement, communicate directional ideas for those chapters... AND call for volunteers...
Hell, I only keep up with California on the state level. I wouldn't be surprised if other states were currently doing something similar to this. And even if they weren't, consider that you can help make that happen.
I'm summarizing, really. The point is that if YOU, yes, YOU are concerned about a lack of direction and “lack of effort,” then YOU need to get involved. More is happening than you are probably aware of, and they're more in need of help than you probably understand. These organizers are answering questions, talking with people, and collaborating with other organizations from their phones under their desks at work, okay? They are neck-deep in trying to keep events happening, and that burden can really only be alleviated if more people step up to help.
If you can’t make it to protest events for whatever reason? Get your ass in the Discord channels for your state. Signal, Lemmy, whatever. If there's something that you have the ability to do, do it. If you can't figure out Discord, learn it. Doesn't matter how many days you need if you get it eventually.
6. Hard Realities
I’ve seen users in this subreddit point out more than once that they don’t want to use Discord.
We’re at the point where saying that you won't use Discord because it’s hard to learn is a weak excuse. I understand that, more likely than not, it is a completely new app to you. Having a hard time learning it is, in of itself, no weakness. Instead, it’s a matter of merit that you are pushing through regardless. But treating it as a hard barrier for all but the very few is a problem.
Think about it this way: When people are getting black-bagged, will you be okay with saying, “Oh man, that app is just too hard to use… “
As our rights to due process and free speech are erased, will your excuses for not volunteering be a comfort?
Or do you want to know that you did everything you could if it meant making a difference?
VOLUNTEER. ORGANIZE. LEARN.
7. Getting Involved
GENERAL 50501 DISCORD: https://discord.com/invite/50501
50501 LEMMY INSTANCE: https://50501.chat/
(Special thanks to u/BlueHikingCat for editing and proofreading my first draft, you're amazing!)
Originally Posted By u/FireWolf3000 At 2025-04-12 10:03:46 PM | Source
