50501: Nationwide US protest Feb 5th fifty states fifty protests one day
I wanted to make sure there was a post about this as I only found out about it 3 days ago.
There is a nationwide protest planned for February 5th at every state capitol. Make your own choices on this and stay as safe as you are able, but I do not feel I am overstating things when I say that the United States is in incredible danger right now.
trump will get away with everything we let him get away with. We have seen him back off on various things when there was push back - we are NOT powerless in this at all.
While I dislike sending traffic to Reddit, my personal preferences there pale in comparison to the importance of this. r/50501 appears to be a central communications point for organizing this. I also checked the subreddit for the city I live in and there is an active thread with people coordinating for those who can't make it to the state capitol but still want to protest, going over local laws, issues of if the city requires protest permits, what possibilities to expect or plan for, etc.
If you don't want to, or don't feel safe protesting in person, YOU CAN STILL PARTICIPATE AND HELP. Demonstrating that a large percentage of the population is participating is important, and you can do that by phone and email as well. Call your state representatives offices on Wednesday, February 5th (tomorrow as I type this, but it's nearly midnight).
Look up your state representative here.
Call the United States Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to speak to the office of your state's senator.
If you do attend a protest, plan ahead to the extent you can. Wired had a reasonable article on this subject from 2022. Original Wired link here - it is paywalled though. Archive.is link here.
TL;DR on what to bring from that article:
Small bag or pack, preferably something you won't care about if you lose it.
Water.
Face mask or bandana. COVID is still a thing, and it may be beneficial to not have your face recorded by cameras.
Hat and/or sunglasses - same additional purpose of 'don't make it easy for gov to know who was there'.
Snacks. Plan ahead for food you can eat without needing to sit down for a meal. Protein bars, jerky, bag of fruit, PBJ...
Protest signs. Pick something short so you can write large letters. Make it easy to read from a distance. Maybe bring extras for others who want to carry one but don't have one.
Suitable clothing - it's winter, don't freeze. Consider packing something to change into if you get pepper spray on you - if you're planning for that, wrap it in plastic or the like so your change of clothes doesn't get exposed if/when you do.
Good, comfortable walking shoes or boots. You're going to be on your feet, make it easier on yourself.
Your ID (maybe) - double edged sword. If detained, not having it might keep you held up longer. In some states you may not have to show police your ID if they ask for it - you'll want to look this up for your state.
Your phone (maybe) - double edge sword. Your phone can record abuses and produce a video record to (try to) prove the reality of events. You can communicate, call for a ride, etc... Having your phone on you also means you can be geofenced which makes it much easier to find out 'was this person at that protest'. Surveillance tech capabilities exist, and this is one of them. Be aware of the trade-offs. I don't know if your specific model phone will actually not ping a tower if you put it into airplane mode.
Cash - buy food, pay for a ride, etc WITHOUT leaving easily traceable information from using your credit/debit card.
A power bank - not just for yourself, someone else might need to charge their phone too. Or non-phone camera for those thinking ahead to film but not contantly ping 'this (customer name) was at this protest'.
Misc useful things: duct tape, flashlight or headlamp, ibuprofen (bring a small LABELED bottle to make it at least a teeny bit harder for cops to claim 'no label, those pill could be anything, arresting you for drugs...' - they still could, but a labeled bottle would make your potential day in court that much easier on you..., cartridge-filter face mask (pepper spray), goggles (same reason), pen and paper, sharpie, band-aids / minor medical kit, wet wipes, ear plugs (to help against sonic crowd-control stuff - basically super loud painful speakers, extra face masks for others, copy of emergency phone numbers relevant to you, a card declaring any needed medical info someone might need to know if you can't tell them (asthma attack, anything..), if you have prescription meds you need to take, bring them in the labelled bottle to prove the prescription. Plan for the possibility you may be away for home longer than you plan on.
Also from the article:
Know Your Rights
In the US, it’s entirely within your rights to peacefully demonstrate in public. The basic act of assembling and protesting action by the government is unquestionably protected, according to the First Amendment Coalition, a California-based nonprofit that’s committed to protecting freedom of speech. Also, as a general matter, “people have the right to film or otherwise document things that are happening in the public space,” says David Snyder, director of the FAC. “If police demand that you turn over your notes, I would say that you can assume they don’t have the right to seize that.” That said, if it comes down to a matter of force and you are physically outmatched, you may have to weigh the risks to your immediate personal safety, potentially have your notes or phone stripped from you, and pursue legal action later on. Also, Snyder notes, the First Amendment to the Constitution does not protect protesters who engage in unlawful activity, which includes destroying property or assaulting other people.
Memorize at least one number of someone to call - if you're in jail and need to call someone, plan ahead to know ahead of time who you can trust who DIDN'T go and will be able to take a phone call from you and help you by letting your other family / friends know where you are or arrange bail for you.
Good luck everyone. Make reasonable choices on how much a trade-off you are willing to make on protesting vs your personal safety. Do what you can, because even if you decide to stay home you can still call the capitol switchboard, or keep trying to get through to your state representatives. If the line is busy: GOOD. Let their phones ring unceasingly all day from morning to night.
Edit as I think of other useful things: Instructions on how to clean pepper spray exposure.
It looks like at least the Associated Press is giving this some coverage, but I've checked so many news agencies (CNN, NBC, ABC...) and they simply aren't mentioning these protests.
I know they are happening. I've seen pictures and video - Senator Warren was speaking to the protest crowd in front of the Treasury building earlier, but nearly no mainstream attention.
It looks like the orange is getting good returns from intimidating and suing the media left and right.
Edit: after more searching it looks like others are still providing coverage on this: Newsweek and CBS, as well as USA Today
I think that, at least for now, we should give up our tendency to abandon platforms we don't like. It feels like cancelling them, and it could even work in different circumstances, but in these circumstances, it's essentially deplatforming ourselves. We need to be spreading messages everywhere we can.
I would say Twitter is an exception there. At this point, it's like using Truth Social
Agreed. Given Twitter is literally owned and actively screwed with by one of the main guys behind running an active coup, it really cannot be relied upon.
This kind of thing is why we've seen attacks on not just our news institutions, but on our ability to communicate and coordinate. The individuals trying to take control of the US don't want anyone able to protest or express dissent in any kind of effective manner. They don't want us knowing others feel the same way, they don't want us knowing others want to act as well.
I'm not sure I agree.
You don't need to spend time there. Just post.
But I've been out of the mainstream social media game (except Reddit) for a long time, so maybe I have a bad understanding of how this stuff works.
Thanks for making this post. I could not go to my state's protest but I have been contacting my representatives about waves hands all of this. I intend to start attending protests and hoping to start organizing otherwise. All advice I have heard is to pick a lane and focus on that lane — having a few dedicated people working on specific issues can do a lot more to move the needle than a lot of people with less focus. I personally feel this is an all hands on deck moment and encourage others on Tildes to start getting involved however they can, even if its just a phone call or an email. Anecdotally, I have heard that for many congresspeople, getting even 20 contacts on a particular subject is considered a lot. Even something as small as an email counts! And even if your rep is MAGA!
Go out and give em he'll, America!