“50501″ stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one day.
By: Jamie Landers
Breaking News Reporter
A new political group opposed to President Donald Trump is organizing protests across the nation, including one next week at Dallas City Hall.
The “50501″ movement first took off earlier this year on social media under the hashtags #buildtheresistance and #50501. It soon manifested in dozens of protests on Feb. 5, where attendees decried everything from Trump’s immigration policies to his rollback of transgender rights and a proposal to forcibly transfer Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
Here’s what we know about 50501.
What does 50501 mean?
“50501″ stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one day.
What are the protests for?
According to the group’s website, the 50501 movement is a “decentralized rapid response to the anti-democratic and illegal actions of the Trump administration and its plutocratic allies.”
The Associated Press reported that several signs and protesters denounced Elon Musk, the billionaire who heads the new Department of Government Efficiency.
“The current administration has clarified that it cares more about profit than people,” organizers wrote on the 50501 Facebook page. “We as a collective refuse to stand by as they continue to undermine the dignity of our communities.”
They continued: “We reject the idea that any person’s worth is less than another’s. Together, we are a force for change.”
When is the next protest?
50501 is planning “Not My Presidents Day” protests at state capitols and city halls nationwide on Monday, Feb. 17.
The protest in Dallas will be held at City Hall Monday at noon. There are also protests planned in Austin and Houston.
A poster promoting the Dallas event says the goal is to “Reject oligarchy, reject fascism, reject Trump, reject the seizure of government power by the 1%, and reject project 2025.”
The 50501 website says the movement was designed to be peaceful, and “violence of any kind will not be tolerated.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Jamie Landers is a breaking news reporter at The Dallas Morning News. She is a graduate of The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in Phoenix, where she studied journalism and political science. Jamie previously reported for The Arizona Republic and Arizona PBS.
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.
