Reddit, you asked for transparency.
We want to provide what we can so we can all move on and focus on the work ahead. As per Reddit team reinstatement guidelines, we cannot get into the actions of past moderators. However, we can clear up most of the rest of it and provide some assurances.
What do I need to know?
Posting is open again, and there will be no more pauses related to this past week. On Friday, we messaged with the Reddit website admins. They removed all mods from r/50501 and added back the three who took the most mod actions (such as approving and removing posts): u/greenascanbe, u/transcendent167, u/50501California.
The Reddit admins have asked us to do two things: (1) to add additional moderators, which we did over the weekend, and (2) to “help [our] community move on from the events of the last several days and not focus on actions of former mods.” For that reason, this statement will be pinned as a megathread for this topic. All discussion of The Great Pausing (better names accepted) needs to be kept to this megathread.
Discuss what you will here, but we do have one more mandate from the Reddit admins: “Please be mindful not to allow any harassment or targeting of former mods by anyone here.” That fits with 50501’s values and existing rules anyway: Do NOT dox or harass anyone involved. Don’t be armchair therapists. Be respectful.
Now, to answer a few questions that have been swirling around:
What is 50501, and what is the People’s Movement?
50501 was the initial call to action that sparked the growing People’s Movement in the United States. It began as a call on Reddit and Facebook many years ago, for 50 states to engage in 50 protests in 1 day.
The idea fully took off in January 2025, after it was resurrected in light of the growing threat of authoritarianism under the Trump regime. The resurrected concept went viral on Reddit and quickly spread to other platforms, such as Instagram, Discord, and BlueSky.
Grassroots organizers and first-time protesters came together across the nation to answer this viral call to action, turning the initial spark into a full-fledged movement.
Why does 50501 call itself decentralized? What does that mean?
50501 is a grassroots, decentralized movement. We are built and led by ordinary people at the community level, not by elites or institutions. Our power comes from the ground up, from the people directly affected by the current administration’s attempt to dismantle our democracy. We organize ourselves based on shared values, lived experience, and collective need.
We are decentralized because we believe in true equality. We do not put individuals on pedestals, and there are no secret decision-makers. We organize without hierarchy because concentration of power, no matter where it exists, leads to control, exclusion, and eventually oppression. We reject authoritarianism in all its forms, including any version of it that might try to take root within 50501.
As a decentralized movement, we know that real power comes from collective effort. Building the infrastructure to sustain that power, especially in the digital realm, takes resources and coordination that no single group can do alone. We partner with aligned organizations not to compromise our values but to strengthen them. 50501 has two national partners: Political Revolution and Voices of Florida. We are also endorsed by NoVoiceUnheard and Build the Resistance. These collaborations and endorsements allow us to build the foundation we need to grow, to stay resilient, and to remain accountable to and representative of the people. We work with plenty of other groups as well, but that tends to be on an event-to-event basis (e.g., the Hands Off protest collaboration with a variety of groups on April 05).
Is there any truth to the rumor that 50501 is “going corporate”? What are those rumors actually about?
A separate, independent group of three people wholly unconnected to the broader People’s Movement is responsible for the filings that exist. On April 05, they filed for two trademarks (“50501” and “50 States, 50 Protests, 1 Movement”) and attempted to create a “national 50501” 501(c)4 without the knowledge or consent of the movement. On April 20, they also filed a trademark for “50 States, 50 Protests, 1 Day,” the original movement slogan. They approached a former moderator with this plan and got them involved, which started the events of this past week, including The Great Pause. In their own words, this plan included “memorandums of understanding” that would require every state 50501 group to join them or face legal action if they continued to operate under the 50501 label. That plan was likely unenforceable, legally speaking, but would have created a significant headache for local and state organizers and could have caused a massive and unnecessary schism in the People’s Movement.
After we pointed out to these individuals that the movement as a whole should have the final say in decisions about whether to incorporate at the national level, they appear to have withdrawn those trademarks and filed articles of termination for the 501(c)4.
In contrast, neither our nationwide, grassroots movement itself nor its supporting coalition of local and state organizers have any intention of forming a national-level 501(c)4 or filing for any trademarks. Any steps taken in this direction would require a democratic process, including the voices of every local and state 50501 group. We are in the early stages of proposing a search for a method to create an open-source license for 50501 with the intention to ensure that no one could ever “own” the movement. This decision will have to be made democratically.
Why are you so against 50501 “going corporate”?
One of the reasons that the organizers of 50501 are so against the incorporation of a national 50501 group in any form is the long history of top-down centralization causing fractures in grassroots movements that were built on trust and solidarity.
The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement offers a clear example. Originally a decentralized, grassroots movement that took shape after the death of Trayvon Martin, BLM allowed activists worldwide to organize freely under a shared banner. When the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) incorporated and trademarked “Black Lives Matter,” it sparked accusations of profiteering, top-down control, and neglect of local organizers. Trust in the movement eroded, and media attention shifted away from the cause to focus on controversies over leadership and finances.
The same thing happened to Occupy Wall Street. Deliberately leaderless and anti-corporate, Occupy was destabilized when some participants sought to trademark the name and create formal nonprofit structures. The people that were part of the movement saw it as a betrayal of the movement’s values, which weakened its collective power. Eventually, the movement faded away, and the billionaires and corporations that Occupy fought against have only gotten stronger.
Trademarking and incorporation in decentralized movements creates several problems:
- Gatekeeping replaces open participation.
- Power concentrates in the hands of a few.
- Authenticity fades as movements start to resemble the institutions they once opposed.
- Public focus drifts toward leadership scandals instead of the original cause.
- Activists face legal threats from within their own movements.
While the desire to protect a movement or secure funding can seem understandable, history shows that formalizing without broad democratic consent fractures solidarity far more often than it strengthens infrastructure. 50501 is committed to protecting what past movements lost: collective ownership, transparency, and decentralized power. Our strength is not in paperwork or trademarks. It is in the trust we build together.
Who is organizing these efforts nationally?
On the national level, 50501 is a loose collection of teams of organizers from all 50 states, DC, and beyond. These folks collaborate to make sure all chapters are roughly on the same page. In other words, it is a People’s Movement against Trump. That’s it. The national teams do not collect money. They are not a PAC, non-profit, or 501c4. They are not incorporated at all because that doesn’t make sense for a decentralized and grassroots movement. When people outside of 50501 approach the national teams to offer donations, those teams direct potential donors to local and state 50501 groups instead.
We often get asked how our community is structured and how decisions move through the network. Here’s a simple breakdown of the layers of 50501’s organization as it has organically developed.
Community Organizers (100+ Nationwide):
This circle includes about 100 organizers from communities all across the country (about two per state—insert Senate jokes here; we’ve certainly made them). These folks are actively involved in managing, communicating within, or organizing their local groups/chapters. Membership rotates regularly, especially as new communities join or as leadership roles transition. Community Organizers are kept in the loop on key issues and proposed solutions. They’re expected to bring that information back to their communities, gather feedback, explore new ideas, or prepare to vote on solutions.
Anyone currently running a community can join this group after a short vetting process. We are working on proposals to make this team more important in decision-making processes at all levels. That process will take time and must include democratic nominations from the local groups and a more thorough vetting process to avoid incidents like this past week. As a reminder, we are only a few months old!
National Teams:
These are specialized teams formed around topics like Communications, Operational Security, Document Writing, Mutual Aid, Press, Vetting, and Moderation. National teams are created as needed, often bringing together local members from across the country to share resources and coordinate messaging. Some of these teams also include crossovers so that the left hand knows what the right hand is doing. We try to make sure that crossover chats include trusted community members with a wide range of perspectives.
While these national teams do not make final decisions for the whole community, they do play a key role as sounding boards, spaces to surface problems and explore possible solutions before they move forward. We are always working on better reflecting the growing diversity of our community within these teams.
That said, each local community still manages its own version of these teams. The national structure helps provide guidance and connection, but control remains at the local level. This structure allows us to stay decentralized but connected, with strong local leadership, a thoughtful middle layer, and flexible national support when needed.
Power and decision-making are shared equally across our community rather than controlled by a central leader or small group. There is no top-down authority here; we build from the bottom up, with collective input and participation at every level. We’re certainly not perfect, but we’re working on it. All these teams have room to grow and change as the movement grows and changes. If you’re interested in joining these teams or getting more involved with the movement in general, please join our Discord and our mailing list to get connected! Links to both can be found at https://www.fiftyfifty.one/.
Why were you guys locking and unlocking the subreddit?
That wasn’t us. As soon as we got wind of what was happening, we directed folks to the r/50501movement subreddit to ensure that this community’s dialogue could continue.
We should also mention that our teams haven’t contributed to any doxxing. Several of the members from our national teams have been doxxed by various parties, and at least one former moderator was doxxed by an outside party; we ask that all of you please stop doing that. Even if you don’t like someone, sending the internet after them isn’t the answer. We should be (peacefully) fighting fascists, not attacking each other.
What will happen to the r/50501movement subreddit now that it’s no longer needed?
Now that the r/50501 subreddit has been restored, we intend to turn r/50501movement into a place for local and state organizers to advertise their upcoming events. It will also serve as a backup in case something happens to this subreddit.
Who is PolRev?
Political Revolution (PolRev) is a fully volunteer-run, grassroots PAC founded by former Bernie organizers and Reddit moderators in 2015 who wanted to carry their momentum forward. It supports progressive grassroots activism to transform U.S. politics to ensure the government serves all people, not just the wealthy few. They focus on electing progressive candidates and advancing issue-based campaigns. PolRev has provided 50501 with critical infrastructure, including the events platform, enterprise technology, tools to host important trainings with voice/video conferencing, and private server hosting for security for free. It’s more important than ever to protect 50501 data from oligarchy control, which is a mission of the PolRev teams. It should be noted that the majority of administrative permissions within the 50501 environment are not held by PolRev members but are instead held by 50501 organizers. These are not gatekept by PolRev.
In addition, PolRev offers fiscal sponsorships to local and state 50501 groups. While some communities stay unfunded, some have voted to incorporate to handle funds on their own, and others have sought fiscal sponsorship from outside organizations. A number of chapters have chosen to get fiscal sponsorship from PolRev. As part of those fiscal sponsorship agreements, PolRev retains five percent of the donations from their sponsorships (after Act Blue takes their customary three percent from the PolRev portion of donations). For context, PolRev gets an average donation of about $44.
Whether or not to solicit donations is each group’s choice, at the end of the day. Any of our members can choose to donate money or labor to their community in any way that makes sense for them. There are no links or methods to donate to “50501 national.”
Who is VOF?
Voices of Florida (VOF) is a Black- and Queer-led grassroots nonprofit actively engaged in mutual aid efforts, challenging harmful legislation, and defending abortion rights across the state of Florida. Since February, VOF has lent their experience to the movement, offering de-escalation and organizing trainings, mentoring new organizers, and acting as a resource for conflict resolution, all at no cost to 50501 and its local groups. Their team has also leveraged their activist network to lend credibility to the 50501 name, affirming that we are a legitimate movement led by passionate organizers working around the clock to resist authoritarianism and protect our collective rights.
In the interest of transparency, VOF has two elected local county committeepersons on their board. They were both elected by their community to serve within their local county Democratic Party, volunteering their time to push back against the old guard and establishment forces and ensure that progressives, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and other marginalized groups have a meaningful seat at the table in a deeply conservative area.
One of these two elected officials is a woman of color, one of three people of color on that elected committee. The statements made about her are disingenuous. She has repeatedly been tokenized by a former member of 50501, which goes against our movement’s values and everything we stand for. She has been a grassroots organizer for many years, and her efforts are part of a broader movement coordinated with other young leaders in her community. That community is incredibly upset with how her voice and other underrepresented voices have been trampled on in recent weeks.
VOF and PolRev are movement partners. They both stepped in to help us out well before any other group or the media was giving us the time of day. Their mission has been to empower our local organizers by giving us the tools and support we need to lead, grow, and win. We’re incredibly grateful for their time, energy, patience, and guidance. Without them, we would not have the support we have now, and the movement wouldn’t be nearly as strong. As long as their goals continue to align with those of the broader People’s Movement, we’re happy to have them along for the ride.
What comes next?
On May 01, 50501 is taking part in another National Day of Protest: Mayday Strong. On International Worker’s Day and the 19th Anniversary of El Gran Paro Americano, millions of Americans will come together across the country to stand up for the rights of workers and immigrants and to demand that the government put the people before profits. For more info, visit https://maydaystrong.org/.
We are currently deciding the next date for our National Day of Protest in June. The ranked-choice vote is currently ongoing; if you would like to take part in the voting process, please join our Lemmy at https://lemmy.fiftyfifty.one/.
TL;DR: r/50501 is unpaused and unrestricted and will be staying that way, after a break that was caused by attempts to trademark and corporatize the movement without community consent. We have taken steps to stop those attempts, ensure that this won’t happen again, and to protect our grassroots, decentralized nature.
This team is committed to collective ownership, transparency and protecting the decentralized structure that empowers our communities, with national partners like PolRev and VOF that support infrastructure without controlling the movement. Moving forward, we hope that we can all carry on fighting fascism instead of each other, and we hope to see you out there protesting for labor and immigrant rights on the 1st!
Originally Posted By u/FiftyFifty1Movement At 2025-04-28 01:28:57 PM | Source
