Collin Moffitt
Ashley Brooke is one of the organizers of the 50501 movement in Connecticut and attended its protest April 5 at the state Capitol building in Hartford.
The 50501 movement, a grass-roots effort launching protests against some of the actions of Pres. Donald Trump and his administration, has grown exponentially since its first gathering in Hartford on Feb. 5. Since then, the group organizers have merged with other active movements, including the annual Women’s March, Indivisible, and Hands Off, thanks to its open communication and organizing on social media platforms, said Ashley Brooke, one of the Connecticut activists spearheading 50501.
The group’s April 5 rally at the State Capitol Building in Hartford drew many more people than that first rally in February.
Brooke showed some surprise at the turnout.
“We weren’t sure, you know what I mean? You put these events on and you just hope people want to show up and listen to the message,” she said. “We did it, you know, with the partnership of Indivisible and other teams, it was a lot more pressed this time we around. So we were hoping for it, we were kind of planning for it… but we weren’t quite expecting this.”
The conversation then drifted to guest speakers present at the rally.
“We emailed and asked,” Brooke said, “other people emailed us, and said ‘hey, I would love to speak, I would love to coordinate.’ So it’s just kind of a collaborative effort of everybody coming together.”
Despite the rainy weather, the energy at the event was incredibly optimistic. There was a sense of unity; people of all ages, ethnicities, genders, and sexualities gathered for a common cause. People filled the entire parking lot of the building and the courtyard area. There was also live music, with a jazz band up front and an older man at the back playing a banjo, singing old American folk songs.
Several state senators also attended and spoke at the event.
State Sen. Saud Anwar, who represents the 3rd district, including East Hartford, South Windsor, East. Windsor and Ellington.
“We are under attack; our Democracy is under attack. The people in the state are under attack; our futures are under attack,” Anwar said. “We have to stand up and be a strong voice to resist.”
State Sen. Derek Slap, who represents the 5th District encompassing West Hartford, Farmington, Burlington and Bloomfield, said a mix of feelings brought him out.
“Anger, sadness, determination to not just sit on my couch,” Slap said. “I wasn’t gonna sit here, I’m not gonna get beaten down, so I think people are really energized, you know? They were shocked the first couple of months, but now we’re ready to fight.”
50501 has more events planned soon, including “Pride in the Park” on June 14, from 2-8 p.m. in Veteran’s Memorial Park and Marina in Norwalk. For more information about upcoming protests and other events visit the CT 50501 Discord, where most events are organized and scheduled. They also have a subreddit that shares details on events, and the national organization has an Instagram.