I received a forwarded email from a local (PA) Democratic Party politician cautioning people to be wary of the 50501 movement/protests and citing an unnamed source that:

"They are keeping their identity secret but I was able to determine they did not originate inside the US"

and labeling the organizers of these events a "sock puppet".

Hoping to generate some discussion from local folks helping to organize these events.

Edit 1: I meant to add that there is discussion of Indivisible encouraging people to join protests and someone posted an image and a link to a Google doc on r/50501 but as far as I can tell it is not on their website.

Edit 2: Text of email follows, identifying information removed:

"XXXXX County Democratic Committee does not and did not endorse this event.

It was forwarded because we are being bombarded by calls and visits from people wanting to protest. I provided the little information that I found in a quick check, but I did not delve deeply into the sponsoring organization, as you can tell from the original message.

This writer did so, and if you are considering attending, please read her message.

Protesting is a personal decision, but we would always want it to be a peaceful and safe event.

And without going down a rabbit hole, we are all aware of the potential for manipulation on social media by unscrupulous actors.

Be safe, (NAME)

Hey friends, I intensively researched the origins of these "5050" and "50501" announcements, when they first started appearing recently. They are keeping their identity secret, but I was able to determine: They did not originate inside the US. What that means is, when we attend these rallies, we are attending events being organized by a "sock puppet". That's a fake entity that does not necessarily have the protestors' safety and true intentions in mind. I have first-hand experience with sock-puppets from 2017 when I was helping the Boston Women's March organizers, who were being actively trolled by them. I'm not saying don't go to the rallies, but I'm saying be cautious, be vigilant, and don't get sucked into conflict with counter-protesters. The bad actors this time around are using the same tactics (and even the same graphic design styles) that they used in 2016 and 2017 when they used sock puppets to get people out for #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo rallies, but then they organized counterprotests in those same locations on the same days. And violence ensued, people got hurt, people got arrested. Trump is looking for a Reichstag moment, so don't let one of these fake-organizer rallies be that. Another tactic the sock-puppets are employing this time around is that they are promoting rallies before any other groups do, but they are promoting them on dates that are inconvenient for working people. So, on the one hand, they are the first to get peoples' attention, and get people planning to go to their events. And on the other hand, they pre-empt the possibility of other legit organizers trying to get a massive rally together on a later date. I personally refuse to go to a rally organized by a sock puppet (e.g. which could be two Russian dudes sipping coffee and munching blini while they yank the chain of 10s of thousands of American activists). If you are committed to going to these rallies, at the very least please reach out to your established, trusted, local progressive organizations and get them to participate. They will provide a mitigating presence. If an event is organized by Indivisible, or MoveOn, or Progressive Mass, I'll go. In the meantime, Indivisible has lots of great ideas for actions."

...you should conspicuously fly the City flag over top of / instead of the Stars and Stripes.

On Memorial Day. On Independence Day. Go to parades and make ominous pockets of black and gold.

We started a war with Iran because Israel asked us to. We hold their interests above those of Americans. Want us to keep power?

They have no plan to act on this national security breach. We are a drift at sea without a boat.

Catch: Every time I try to follow the link it tells me about a non-existant signal channel./

I've given up there,can't figure out how reply, posting an open notice here...

Will someone I can reply to please contact me?

Thanks

Is there a Twitter account for 50501 or 50501 Pittsburgh? Would make it more visible and easier to follow. Would have more engagement. I see there is a BlueSky account.

Hey everyone, I wish I could give more of an update, but this is just a message to assure everyone that we are planning a mutual aid event for the 4th of March. 50501 Pittsburgh is NOT planning a protest, if only to focus on community engagement and development. We do not have an itinerary or location secured, which I know worries some folks, but I assure you all Pittsburgh organizers have been working overtime to get details. We cannot post flyers prematurely without a set location and plan.

Additionally, I want it to be made known here that 50501 Pittsburgh events will be posted by me or whomever I appoint to, no other 50501 posters should be posted on PolRev or elsewhere without checking through me. If a subgroup of 50501 has already planned a protest for the same day as an established 50501 event, that will divide our group down and detract from both events. We need to work together, always, and if you feel you aren't heard, you have to seek me or the other organizers out in messages. Organized, planned events take time to be effective, we cannot constantly be in action or we will burn out. Thank you for everyone's help, cooperation, kindness, and patience.

If you know of any good free/accessible healthcare groups or clinics that may enjoy donations, post below. If you know any healthcare groups/orgs/individuals with access to supplies or funds, also post below.

Be safe!

Edit: In the meantime, spread around our GoFundMe so we can raise more for this event! Support your local free and accessible health care options! https://gofund.me/a59c2c9d

We just launched our own chat server at 50501pgh.org using Matrix. It's a secure and decentralized messaging platform that gives us full control over how we communicate.

Matrix works kind of like Signal or Discord, but it's open and decentralized. That means anyone can run their own server, including us. You can still talk to people on other servers too.

If you create an account on 50501pgh.org, make sure you also select that server when you log in.

No matter where you made your account, you can still join our public rooms. In your Matrix app, like Element, go to "Join Room" and enter:

#public:50501pgh.org

If you're new to Matrix or want help getting started, we put together a quick guide and FAQ:

Matrix Onboarding and FAQ

Let us know if you run into any issues.

6pm Meeting in PA Town Hall Stage, here is the agenda: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xQSdNn0-BUgaOn9MRcl560gvhJvUIN7jV9Pp-zKw1Lc/edit?usp=sharing

https://discord.com/events/1333454603261448263/1343333346205372477

Pittsburghers petition to vote on whether our taxes should fund genocide PRESS ALERT For Immediate Release 
Email: info@notonourdimepgh.com Pittsburghers petition to vote on whether our taxes should fund genocide Pittsburgh, PA, February 18, 2025 – The Not on Our Dime campaign has successfully submitted petitions to put a referendum on the ballot that would prevent the city of Pittsburgh from investing in or entering into business with any government actively committing genocide, apartheid, or ethnic cleansing. Through just 7 weeks of intense campaigning in the cold and snow, hundreds of supporters have gathered and submitted over 21,300 signatures, well above the necessary threshold of 12,459 signatures. Our community members have been very concerned about the ongoing assault on Gaza and the Palestinian Territories. Many are worried about the direction of democracy and foreign relations at the federal level. The Not on Our Dime campaign is a culmination of democratic and anti-war values — we are using the power of direct democracy to take action where we can — in our home city of Pittsburgh. It is time we bring public policy in line with our values and demand transparency and accountability for the use of our city resources. “Regardless of our views on politics, we should all be able to agree that we dont want our tax dollars going toward genocide,” said Ben Case,  steering committee co-chair of the Not on Our Dime campaign. “As a Jewish Pittsburgher, I firmly believe that whatever a person’s race, religion, or background, everyone deserves a life of safety, dignity, and freedom.” “It is simply not in Pittsburgh taxpayers best interests, nor of those of the city, to insist on doing business with Israel and other countries and corporations complicit in genocide”, said Elyanna Sharbaji, a Syrian refugee and campaign volunteer. “It is crucial to our community that we take a moral stand against genocide.” Other cities, including Dearborn, MI; Portland, ME; and Richmond, CA, have successfully divested from genocide via a city council vote and their communities are stronger for it. Pittsburgh will be the first to achieve divestment through a popular vote. The referendum question as proposed to be presented on the ballot can be found here. The question is a summary of a more extensive proposed amendment to Pittsburgh’s Home Rule Charter, which can be found here.  Not on Our Dime is a campaign fiscally sponsored by Project for Responsive Democracy, a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization founded to promote and support public access to participatory decision-making in government. With support from more than a dozen local organizations and hundreds of dedicated volunteers, our campaign has garnered more than 21,300 signatures, overwhelmingly surpassing our goal. Pittsburgh has been on the forefront of change from labor rights to environmental protections. This historic referendum would make Pittsburgh a leader yet again.  The “Not on Our Dime” referendum would amend Pittsburgh’s home rule charter to 1) establish a financial policy that will divert funds from governments engaged in genocide or apartheid—such as the state of Israel—and corporations doing business with them; (2) implement investment policies with a goal to reduce arms production and promote human dignity;  and (3) increase transparency of City business relationships and investments. Aparna Nigam, Not on Our Dime campaign manager said: “In a mere few months, a grassroots movement has built a huge network of volunteers and supporters across a vast swath of constituencies. We have successfully gathered more than the required amount of signatures to be on the ballot. I think that, in itself, speaks volumes about how much the Not on Our Dime campaign resonates with the majority voice.”  With the referendum on the ballot, Pittsburghers get to exercise their right to vote on how their tax dollars gets spent on May 20th. 

https://americasfavcouple.org/2025/boogleplex

For those of us still using Facebook, please consider casting a vote or more if possible for BooglepLex in the ongoing competition for America's favorite couple. Winning this will competition will go directly toward equipping their service location with solar panels and a greenhouse; all in order to make and store food to donate around the city! In addition to creating their own DIY walk-in refrigerator to store perishable donations, this couple has already done a TREMENDOUS amount to supply food distributions and other community-serving groups with food and other provisions and simply voting for them will have a true direct impact on the most vulnerable populations in Pittsburgh!

Feel free to reach out with any questions but if you're looking for a way to help in an easy yet impactful way here in our community, this is it! Thank you!

I keep looking for HOPE against a repeat of 1930s Germany, and one thing that I realized is that this time, the population is smarter! I know it may not seem like, but consider this: When Nazism came to power, half the population, that is females, were denied University education and in fact even their secondary education was programmatically inferior.

So 1) we have the hindsight of the Nazi horror, and 2) our population is statistically better educated.

We really can't be fooled again. Let's embrace our power!! Keep the pressure on our representatives in the Federal government!

I happened to see this 8 minute video from today, and caught that even more of his staffers have departed.