Klaus Solko, staff writer

On Feb. 17, there were protests in all 50 states. The movement called the 50501 stands for 50 protests in 50 states with one cause: to protest the current governmental administration. This movement has also nicknamed Presidents Day to be “No King’s Day,” the day on which the protests took place. 

The protests took place at noon in every state’s capitol, with many states also having smaller protests in other areas so more people could participate. They had one protest before Presidents Day that took place on Feb. 5. The organization has grown a lot since that first protest and now has a website with information about their cause and future plans. This website states clearly that all 50501 protests are to be peaceful.

According to Bring Me The News, there were over 1,000 people who went to Minnesota’s State Capitol in conjunction with the movement on Feb. 17, despite the wind chill of 15 degrees below zero outside. A march started at Saint Paul Technical College and ended at the capitol.  Minnesota State Rep. María Isa Pérez-Vega and Rep. Leigh Finke were both in attendance and gave speeches. Finke’s speech included a moment for Sam Nordquist, a transgender man from Minnesota who was recently murdered. In Pérez-Vega’s speech, she said, “Whether we are in 100 degree weather or zero below we are going to let them know the people are the power.” A letter was read during the protest from a non-binary teacher who was not able to attend as they were at their second job. They wrote about their fear of where the public education system is going and how teaching kids about the world is not indoctrination.

Keeping to the commitment of peace, there were many people at the protest who took it upon themselves to pass out hand warmers and socks to people who didn’t have gloves. The capitol also kept its doors open to protesters who needed to get out of the cold and warm up. 

As of Feb. 26, the federal government has made zero comment or shown any recognition of these protests. Many national news outlets have also either given the protests very short mention or no coverage at all. There is also no mention in any of the stories about them planning another protest. The “March 4 American” protest has the same intention and plans as the “No King’s Day” one. It is not currently known if that will be the last protest, however it seems safe to assume it will not be as the organization seems focused on making and sustaining their point to the public.