Protesters rally in Jefferson City against Trump

JEFFERSON CITY — More than 100 residents from across Missouri gathered on the Missouri State Capitol steps Wednesday to protest Donald Trump’s actions since the election.
The gathering was one of the more than 50 protests held under the “50501” title, which mobilized thousands of demonstrators across the United States.
Since Trump was elected in November, the appointment of Elon Musk, immigration raids and a rollback of transgender rights have upset progressives.
In response, a decentralized, autonomous movement has formed in the past two weeks aiming to take a stand against these and other changes pushed by Trump. It’s been dubbed the 50501 movement by its members, which is short for 50 states, 50 protests, one day.

A meditation instructor who goes by Rocco Pink DeCarlo drove two hours from St. Louis to attend the protest. Since the election, DeCarlo said he has fielded a 50% increase in inquiries to his business. He said that people feel like their world is crumbling around them and blames recent political developments for the rise in business.
“It feels kind of helpless,” he said. “So I’m just doing as much as I can to feel like I’m being proactive and standing up for the rights of these marginalized people.”
Temara Jasmine attended the protest and led many of the chants throughout the three-hour demonstration. She said she feels disenfranchised by what she sees as little fight from Democrats on a federal level.
Jasmine said she doesn’t imagine that the protest will change much in a deep red state like Missouri but hopes that it will spur more Democratic Party action in Washington.
“I’ve been wanting to see more resistance to Trump and his agenda, and maybe we can push the Democrats to actually put up a fight against this guy,” she said.

The 50501 movement is decentralized, meaning there is no single group or person organizing it. Instead, independent members are responsible for organizing their local gatherings. That fact, along with the movement’s recent genesis, has sown doubts in the group’s real purpose — even among its followers.
Columbia resident Luke Jensen heard about the protest on Reddit. Despite his suspicions about the 50501 movement’s origins, he still decided to show up with a red drum around his shoulder to lead the chants.
“I will come out here to stand up for what I believe in,” Jensen said. “I don’t know if those instructions are coming from Montana or Moscow, but, you know what, if people are standing up for trans rights and human rights then I will be there.”

Rep. Ray Reed, D-St. Louis, briefly left the Capitol to address the group through a megaphone he borrowed from one of the attendees. Speaking in support of the crowd, he said that progressives in Missouri have a home in the Democratic Party.
“People are not hard to reach, but they feel hardly reached by their government, so that’s why I am here,” Reed said. “We’re not going back” he added, echoing a campaign catchphrase of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.