A Wake-Up Call

D.C. Isn’t a Crime Scene—It’s a Staging Ground

Sep 07, 2025

Hello, and welcome to the latest edition of our 50501 CO newsletter!

In this newsletter we discuss the deployment of the US military to Washington, DC. In addition, you’ll find information on upcoming activities from the 50501 calendar, actions you can take outside of protesting, and also find out about additional ways to connect with us.

See you on the streets! ✊✊✊

Actions and Activities

(The below list contains details on all actions this week which have been submitted to our 50501 CO calendar; click the link above for more details and the full calendar)

All Cities

9/9: 5:30pm - 6:30pm - Know Your Rights Training (Virtual)
9/10: 2:00pm - 2:30pm - Welcome to Brady: New Volunteer Info Session (Virtual)
9/10: 6:00pm - 7:00pm - Team ENOUGH Welcome Session (For Young People Under 26) (Virtual)

Denver

9/6: 10:00am - 11:30 am - Denver Co- Labor in the Bimah (RSVP for location)
9/6: 1:00pm - 2:00pm - Fox Takedown (100 E Speer Boulevard, Denver, CO 80203)
9/6: 1:00pm - 3:00pm - In the Streets Sidewalk Protest (100 Speer Blvd)
9/7: 6:00pm - A Queen's Cabaret Fundraiser for Parasol Patrol (1601 Arapahoe St)
9/10: 6:30pm - 8:30pm - Public Forum: Mamdani’s Election Campaign Lessons for Colorado Progressives (Maglione Hall - University of Denver, Sie International Relations Complex 5025)
9/13: 1:00pm - 2:00pm - Fox Takedown (100 E Speer Boulevard, Denver, CO 80203)

Fort Collins

9/9: 6:00pm - 8:00pm - Meet Your Woke Neighbor (O'Dell Brewery, Fort Collins - RSVP for exact address)

Greeley

9/6: 10:00am - 12:00pm - Court House Steps Protest & March (Weld County Courthouse, 901 9TH AVE)

Littleton

9/6: 11:00am - 1:00pm - Protest Against Tyranny (Tesla Dealership, 5700 S Broadway, Littleton, CO 80121)
9/9: 4:30pm - 6:00pm - WE THE PEOPLE (South Broadway and Littleton Blvd, Littleton, CO 80121)

Northglenn

9/12: 11:00am - 1:00pm - Protest at Gabe Evans' Northglenn Office (Northglenn District Office, 10701 Melody Dr, Northglenn, CO 80234)

Pueblo

9/6: 10:30am - 11:30am - Losing Our Democracy/Preserve the mail- in ballot in CO (Walgreens 4th & Abriendo)
9/13: 10:30am - 11:30am - Losing Our Democracy (Walgreens 4th & Abriendo)

A Wake-Up Call: D.C. Isn’t a Crime Scene—It’s a Staging Ground

Watching the National Guard roll into Washington, D.C., with federal agents patrolling the National Mall, arrests being made under the guise of fighting crime, and the D.C. police department placed under federal control—it’s easy to mistake this for law-and-order politics. But that’s not the point. This is a power grab rooted in a blueprint that’s been laid out all along.

Let’s call it what it is:

This isn’t about crime in the city.
It’s not about distracting from a scandal.
This is about executing a scripted plan.

Project 2025 was always more than a list of talking points—it is a tactical blueprint for consolidating authority. It calls for the president to declare emergencies (real or manufactured), take over local law enforcement, deploy the Guard, and lock down control through loyalty. Every piece of the D.C. operation—arrests, troop deployments, installation of federal authority—aligns with that blueprint.

So what’s really happening?

It’s a reminder that democracy doesn’t always die in a single, dramatic moment. Sometimes it dissolves with routine, strategic interventions disguised as safety.

Consider the pattern:

· A crime spike is declared.

· Emergency powers invoked.

· Local authority displaced.

· Federal power installs its own leadership.

· Controls are normalized under the fog of urgency.

When the president says he’ll seek long-term control, that’s not rhetoric—it’s a threat. It’s a signal that temporary intervention is a stepping stone, not the solution.

This should unsettle us—not because it’s violent or chaotic, but because it’s efficient. Because it’s familiar. Because we’ve seen versions of this playbook before, in authoritarian histories, and we know how it ends.

This isn’t rhetoric. It’s the mechanics of dismantling self-governance—city by city, state by state—under the guise of order.

This is more than just politics. It’s the erosion of the premise that local communities can govern themselves. And once that premise erodes, what’s democracy become? A series of executive orders wrapped in authority, replacing community will with command.

We are watching it happen. Right now, it wears the mask of emergency response. In hindsight, it could be the first domino.

Here are a few detailed news links that give context to what's unfolding in D.C.:

Trump’s attacks on Democratic-run US cities will not stop with Washington

Authorities Arrest More Than 100 People Since Trump’s D.C. Takeover

New lawsuit challenges Trump’s federal takeover of DC police as crackdown intensifies

Non-Protest Actions Bingo

The below bingo card contains a list of actions you can take (other than protesting) to help further the cause. If you get a bingo, tag us on social media to let us know!