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How To Engage Your Local Government
Municipal officials are fundamentally the ones responsible for deciding how schools are run, where utilities are serviced, and what the local property tax rate is. Through zoning, these officials also have great influence over what gets built. These policies may seem less demanding of our attention, but ultimately have a profound impact on our daily lives. If you want to see a change in any of these areas, that is a great reason to engage with your local government.
The Power of Local Protests
While Mass 50501 is an anchor organization for Boston’s No Kings rally tomorrow, March 28th, a major focus of our organizing is on building broad coalitions across the state. We’d be thrilled to have everyone join us in Boston, but we recognize that that is not a reality for some people. No Kings III is meant to be a display of people power, wherever the people may be located. This weekend, there are over 3,000 nonviolent events nationwide and over 150 events planned in Massachusetts!
Pathways to Power (Part 2)
On March 28th, America will re-emerge from a bleak winter of discontent. Now that we have shaken off the forced slumber of snow, we enter the start of a new Season of resistance. Featuring many leaders in our state, a free concert by Dropkick Murphys and a sea of humanity united in common cause in the cradle of liberty, along the freedom trail and before the seat of power in this state. We anticipate No Kings III to be the largest protest in American History.
Even if You Want Surveillance, Flock is a Bad Choice
Even beyond the significant risks posed by Flock to privacy and civil liberties, there lies another question: is Flock good at what it does? I've worked in software and built cybersecurity systems for the federal government, and I believe that answer is a resounding "no.”
Pathways to Power
We have succeeded already at the first step in the long march that will be required to achieve victory against American Fascism. Our sacrifice was worth it—because in one week's time, the largest protest in the history of America will have been planned, executed, and launched by ordinary citizens from all walks of life. We use that energy over the spring, summer, and fall to grow this movement to legendary proportions, to ensure democracy survives the midterm elections, and to assert our collective will to ensure a better future for all of us.
Let’s Build Our Power: Volunteering with Mass 50501
While a one-day protest is helpful for increasing a movement’s visibility and numbers, sustained collective action is even more important. Maybe you’re interested in and aligned with the movement, but unsure what volunteering actually entails. We checked in with six of our current volunteers to hear about organizing with Mass 50501.
A Case for Zeal
The United States, without the remit or even notice to Congress and the American People, has unilaterally, and at the whim of a single man and a small cabal of conspirators, sunk the fleet of a sovereign nation, assassinated its leader, and devastated the Iranian command structure. Thousands are dead in the attack including hundreds at a girls’ school, hit with a Tomahawk missile in Tehran. This attack has no more the legality, morality, or strategy of a mob boss ordering a hit on a rival.
Finding Your People
The next No Kings protest is on March 28, making now the perfect time to find your protest buddies. Make a difference by finding like-minded friends, crafting signs, and protesting together.
Science is Not Perfect. Fight for It Anyway.
If there’s one thing almost anyone can agree on, it’s that science is not perfect. Even so, I am here to invite you to Stand Up for Science tomorrow, March 7th, to make a case for science with all its imperfections.
Reinterpreting The Forefathers Monument
The Forefathers Monument was erected, in part, to unify the country around shared ideals in the face of social divisions. While our national debates have not yet reached the extremes of the 1850s and 1860s, our time is likewise marked by political violence and fractious politics. I think the glorification of shared ideals was not misplaced then, and it seems similar consideration could benefit our country now.
Flock and the Right to Record in Public
We at Mass 50501 have recently started the Flock Off Campaign, a project designed to curtail mass surveillance in Massachusetts by removing AI-powered traffic cameras owned and operated by Flock Safety from our local communities. Since launching this initiative, we have heard some concerns that opposing Flock Safety’s recording also puts citizen’s right to record at risk. In this article we will show that this fear is unfounded since different types of recording have very different places in the law.
Trump Out, ICE Out: Statewide Outreach to Our Representatives
Last year, on Presidents’ Day, we rallied to say No Kings on Presidents’ Day! This year, we took that energy directly to our representatives for the second time in under a month. On February 17th, a dedicated team of activists and leaders joined forces for a National Day of Action to lobby for the impeachment of Trump and an end to ICE’s reign of terror.
Big Brother Won’t Save Your Lost Dog
Politics in the US are more divisive than ever, but there are still a few topics on which most Americans can agree: apple pie is delicious, football is the most popular sport, and dogs are adorable. A penchant for protecting our four-legged friends is normally a positive, but on Super Bowl Sunday, Americans’ love for our canine companions was weaponized against us by Amazon’s Ring cameras, their partnership with Flock, and Flock’s dealings with ICE.
Moral Outrage is Political Power
Massachusetts 50501 believes it is our absolute moral and strategic imperative to push our congressional representatives hard for impeachment. We are engaging in a simple, lightweight, high-impact action that takes our message and impact directly to congress.
Rise Together
As the end of January approached, Boston found itself shivering in frigid temperatures and buried under multiple feet of snow. In the forecast? Thousands of protesters, ready to clear our streets of ICE. The last two days of January saw strikes, rallies, and protests, all held in solidarity with those who are currently undergoing a hostile government takeover in Minnesota.
365 Days of Resistance
On February 5, 2025, Mass 50501 was born (although in spirit only, not yet in name). The first event was not officially organized. People simply heard the national call for action and felt compelled to do something—anything—locally. Residents marched from the Boston Common to the JFK Federal Building to stand in opposition to the Trump regime along with every single other state as part of a nationwide mobilization: “50 states, 50 protests, 1 day.”
MA-06 Candidates Answer our ALPR Questions
We asked the Democratic primary candidates for Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional District seat their thoughts on AI-powered Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology in our communities. Here’s what they had to say.
The Patriots and The Nationalists
Throughout American history, power has cycled between two groups: nationalists who believe that certain racial, religious, or other groups are superior to some others, and patriots who believe that America is only great when equal access to our founding ideals is ensured. Today, the differences between the two camps are on full display…
Flock Safety and the Dangers of AI-powered License Plate Readers
Long gone are the days of “innocent until proven guilty” and personal privacy. There are fewer and fewer places that are free from our overlords’ constant gaze. Ugly black poles went up all over town. One lonely conspiracy theorist camped out by a pole closest to the center of town shortly after their appearance. They signal aliens! They’re watching us!, he declared.
ICE is a Rogue Agency. It’s time to shut it down.
The last several months have shown that ICE is an irredeemable blight upon our nation. There are measures that we can take right now that will cut off ICE’s access to the funding and information that enable its reign of terror.