MN 50501 is the Minnesota branch of a new national protest movement empowered by young people, working families and grassroots organizers. In the months since Trump’s 2025 re-election, thousands across all 50 states have rallied under one phrase: 50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement.
From Reddit threads to streets across the nation
This grassroots movement began on Reddit in the early weeks of Trump’s presidency. What started as an idea on r/50501 evolved into Discord servers, volunteer lists, and nationwide mobilization. By early February, the movement had its first protest, drawing hundreds to state capitols in cities such as Minneapolis, Denver and Columbus.
Decentralized by design, the movement has no single leader. Instead, it functions through local and statewide groups composed of working-class people and students. One of those organizers is Zachary Lindstrom, a sophomore at the University of Minnesota.
Raised in Edina, Minnesota, and a product of the Roseville school system, Lindstrom was drawn into politics through high school debate. He began his college career as a computer science major but later switched to political science as he got more involved in activism.
After President Donald Trump’s re-election, Lindstrom joined local protests and quickly immersed himself in 50501’s organizing efforts.
“I basically sort of started off as whenever anything needed to be done, I would say ‘Yes’ and do it, which I found to be very, very effective,” said Lindstrom.
After the Feb. 5 Project 2025 protest, he created the Minnesota Discord server, appointing other activists he had met during the event as administrators. As the group expanded, members established a steering committee to coordinate activities across the state. Lindstrom was later elected chair of the board, becoming one of the visible voices of MN 50501.
All Volunteers
What sets 50501 apart from past progressive movements is its strict anti-corporate values. There are no big-name funders, no Political Action Committees and no salaried organizers. Events are organized through digital message boards, Zoom calls and numerous late nights.
“No millionaires, no billionaires, no big money corporations,” Lindstrom said.
MN 50501 is powered entirely by volunteers who handle security, logistics and media. A veteran-led marshal group manages event security and logistics to make sure events run smoothly, while the communications team handles press and digital design.
Among the communications leads is Heather Friedli, a small business owner from St. Paul who balances gallery work with activist messaging.
“These aren’t the political elite. These are people. These are people with gardens and backyards and apartments and dogs, which is crucial to a strong grassroots movement,” said Lindstrom.
The Learning Curve
Like all grassroots movements, MN 50501 faced challenges and tensions. At the first large protest, organized on Feb. 17 by MN 50501, which drew over 1,000 people, according to Lindstrom, organizers struggled with arranging basic details of the event.
“We learned a lot that time around, such as learning how to get permits. I actually remember frantically emailing elected officials and organizations seeking people to speak at our rally,” Lindstrom said.
Since then, the group has tightened logistics and built partnerships with established groups like Indivisible Twin Cities and Women’s March Minnesota.
As the movement gained recognition, the number of participants at protests gradually increased from over 1,000 to 80,000 people, according to Friedli, as of the recent No Kings protest.
However, like many grassroots efforts, MN 50501 has faced pushback.
Following the April 5th Hands-off rally, the chair of the Minnesota Republican Party, Alex Plechash, released a statement criticizing the movement. Plechash called it a project of “radical progressive groups” in Minnesota, such as the Indivisible, Working Families Party, Take Action MN and other “far-left activists” who advocate for “failed policies of DEI mandates, government outreach, and socialist-style experiments.”
He said the events, made by movements like 50501, are associated with the Democratic Party’s “old” ideas and the causative agent of “more government waste and endless complaining.”
Lindstrom rejected that characterization.
“First of all, the Working Families Party and Take Action MN did not in fact organize the Hands-off rally. He is just lying. It was us, the Indivisible Twin Cities and Women’s March Minnesota,” Lindstrom said.
Lindstrom also notes the irony of Plechash’s statement about government overreach, as it is one of the key issues 50501 is organizing against.
“What he calls government overreach, we call basic decency,” Lindstrom said
While Lindstrom is quick to challenge misinformation, he welcomes good-faith criticism.
“One of the things we like to do is offer people who criticize us a volunteering position because if you don’t think we’re doing something right, we want you on board to help us fix it,” he said.
From Protest to Policy
Mentorship also shapes the MN 50501 movement. Dennis Donovan, a national organizer of Public Achievement at Augsburg University’s Sabo Center, is a University of Minnesota alum who has guided Lindstrom since he took his community organizing class.
Public Achievement, created by Donovan and Harry Boyte, is a civic engagement model where everyday people learn how to make a lasting impact in their communities. It focuses on public and political dimensions of action and helps encourage people to think critically and collaboratively to shape the world around them.
A former Catholic school principal turned civic educator for Public Achievement, Donovan has spent decades training everyday people to harness their power. Empowering youth and seniors to take on leadership roles, Donovan emphasizes the importance of building relationships and not being afraid to take action.
“In class, he spoke up and he asked good questions,” Donovan said.
Donovan said Lindstrom was an active participant in his class and later joined the independent study. It was in this study that Donovan discovered Lindstrom’s participation in the 50501 movement.
Donovan recalls telling Lindstrom about the importance of thinking beyond protests and petitions.
“You’re not going to change an environment until you move from protests to policy, and to do that, you need to challenge the elected officials,” he said.
He emphasized the importance for organizers not only to protest but also to start questioning the people they voted into political power.
“We have a great opportunity,” Donovan said. “If we don’t take advantage of it, we may never have it again.”
He emphasized that the time is now for demonstrators to demand accountability from elected officials and push for policy change. One of the key ways to achieve this is through civic education and pressure on elected officials.
For Donovan, successful organizing also means more than just showing up. It means understanding your partner’s motivations and fostering genuine trust.
When working with other national organizations and movement leaders, organizers need to take the time to get to know each other. The way you ensure that is by knowing your partner’s self-interest, a concept that is critical in organizing.
“If you’re going to have a movement, people need to know each other; they all should be dancing to the same song,” he said.
Donovan recalled questioning Lindstrom, asking whether he was familiar with the two other organizations and the individuals involved and whether he understood their intentions. He warned that without this knowledge, Lindstrom could be taken advantage of and lose the success he was striving for.
He also urged Lindstrom to avoid being overrun by larger national groups.
What is Next for MN 50501?
Through mentors like Donovan and on-the-ground experience, Lindstrom hopes to see MN 50501’s movement hold the president and his administration accountable. To this end, Lindstrom said by midterms, he hopes to gather a strong majority of anti-Trump supporters.
Lindstrom hopes that anyone who joins the movement will feel empowered rather than hopeless, and he hopes to provide a platform for voices to be heard.
“I want to make sure you do not feel powerless because you are not, and we are watching that proved in real-time,” Lindstrom said.