Every month since February, the political action group 50501 has organized a series of demonstrations in opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies. The name 50501 stands for “50 protests, 50 states, one day.” This Saturday, April 5, protests are planned in Topeka and Wichita.

These protests are also called “Hands Off!” Here’s how one news release explains what’s planned in Topeka.

“On April 5th at noon, citizens from across Kansas and beyond will gather at the Kansas State Capitol for We the People: People’s Veto Day, a powerful, peaceful protest to Remove, Reverse, Reclaim our rights and democracy. As part of a nationwide movement, this demonstration will send a clear and urgent message: We the People reject the Trump-Musk coup and the systematic dismantling of our freedoms.

“Sponsored by 50501 - Fifty States, Fifty Protests, One Day, along with Indivisible, Women’s March, and other advocacy groups, this mass mobilization is a stand against extremist policies threatening our health care, democracy, economy, and fundamental rights.”

The protests have been going on since February, but they didn’t get as much attention as the Satanic Church holding a black mass outside the Kansas Statehouse. On Feb. 5, around 200 protesters were outside the Statehouse in Topeka. On Feb. 17, the “No Kings President’s Day” protest took place at the Capital Building.

People were encouraged to March Forth On March 4th. More people met at the Capitol Building to “Protest Roger Marshall, Jerry Moran, and Trump.”

Wichita will have multiple protests this Saturday. Hands Off! is scheduled for 1 p.m. at 152 East Central Ave. Also, a group called Defend Democracy ICT will have its regularly scheduled peaceful protest at noon at Douglas and Broadway, combining two protests (theirs and Hands Off!) in one. The group also lists a protest at 1 p.m. at 510 Main.

More volunteer-organized Hands Off! events will take place Saturday at Garden City (Indivisible SWKS fights back! at 11 a.m. at the Finney County Courthouse) and Manhattan (1:30 p.m. at the corner of 11th and Poyntz).

It’s a bit confusing. Whose hands are on Hands Off! ?

“Donald Trump and Elon Musk think this country belongs to them. Topeka / Kansas is Standing Up and Demanding to be heard. Follow our Constitution, End Executive Overreach!

“They’re taking everything they can get their hands on – our health care, our data, our jobs, our services – and daring the world to stop them. This is a crisis, and the time to act is now.

“On Saturday, April 5th, we’re taking to the streets to send a clear message: Hands off!”

“Hands off Medicaid! Hands off Social Security! Hands off Our Bodies! Hands Off Our Public Lands! Hands Off Unions! Hands Off Immigrants! Hands Off Trans and LGBTQ+ Rights! Hands Off Clean Energy! Hands Off Our Courts! Hands Off Our Democracy!” The Wichita group has posted Hands Off Agriculture, Aerospace and Veterans!

An April 1 virtual event to prepare for April 5 and beyond is being organized by MoveOn, Public Citizen, Stand Up America, and the Not Above the Law Coalition.

There are hundreds of rallies, marches and protests, reportedly taking place in all 50 states plus four overseas. One local woman who plans to be in Wichita on Saturday said 500 people have signed up so far. We also know locals who plan to be in the Topeka rally.

The message behind these rallies is broad but at the same time focused. 50501 is the antithesis of Project 2025, the 900-page blueprint for an ultra-conservative policy agenda. If we want the checks and balances of our government to continue, we need the people we elect to show some leadership. Through protests such as Hands Off!, people are suggesting where they should start.