Overview

• More than 2,500 events are scheduled across all 50 states on October 18, with organizers forecasting millions of participants.
• The 50501-led coalition includes hundreds of groups such as the ACLU, Public Citizen, Indivisible, the American Federation of Teachers and other national partners.
• The ACLU says it trained about 15,000 people on protest rights and plans to distribute 3 million multilingual 'Know Your Rights' cards, alongside safety and de‑escalation sessions.
• Republican leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have labeled the demonstrations a 'hate America' rally and alleged ties to 'antifa' and 'pro-Hamas,' assertions not supported by the organizing groups’ affiliations in the reporting.
• Police agencies have announced security plans and extra patrols as events proceed during a federal shutdown and after National Guard deployments to cities including Los Angeles and Chicago, with organizers urging nonviolence and no weapons.