Several hundred demonstrators in Bloomington joined a series of nationwide protests under the organization “50501” on Saturday outside the Monroe County Courthouse.
The demonstrators rallied against President Donald Trump’s administration’s funding cuts, immigration policies and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
Protesters brought everything from bagpipes to puppies to an Abraham Lincoln costume, chanting and shouting amid a chorus of supportive honks from passing cars. The protest doubled as a food drive, with donations sent to Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, a Bloomington food pantry.
“Show me what democracy looks like!” one protester chanted into a megaphone as demonstrators marched in circles around the courthouse. Some had laminated signs or painted umbrellas with slogans like “Hands off Science.” “This is what democracy looks like!” the demonstrators shouted back.
The chants were accompanied by the ringing of a triangle and the beating of a drum as protest organizer Sandy Washburn joined first-time protester Jerry Carpenter for a drum circle on a park bench with fellow attendees. Carpenter is a friend of Washburn’s and has lived in Bloomington for about seven years. He said he was asked by Washburn to attend his first protest ever with his drums.
“This is a good atmosphere, I think, to make a little bit of noise,” Carpenter said.
He wasn’t the only musician in the crowd. IU Student Health Center psychologist Ian Arthur played on his bagpipes for the better part of an hour. Arthur said he saw the protests while out for breakfast and thought of the Scottish “protest instrument” he had left in his car. He has been playing the bagpipes for almost 30 years and thought the instrument would be appropriate.
“They were used to inspire people to stand up,” Arthur said. “It was used to signal to troops that were fighting, movements.”
Demonstrator Joey Kauffman came dressed in an Abraham Lincoln costume, accompanied by the signature black top hat and beard. He said he wanted to reclaim patriotic symbols. He was protesting research funding cuts, specifically for cancer research. He knew several people, including his mother and family friends, who have had cancer.
“Republicans get cancer too,” Kauffman said. “They’re gonna get sick and not be able to get better because they wanted to fire cancer researchers for being woke.”
Protesters gathered at 12:15 p.m. in front of the 50501 organizers, who spoke about the organization’s values. They specifically mentioned the state budget bill that was signed into law Tuesday.
“They passed a budget that gives tax breaks to billionaires and cut safety nets that people need,” one speaker said.
Washburn, a research associate at IU, said she learned of 50501 on social media.
Created in January 2025 on Reddit, the idea behind 50501 was simple — 50 protests in 50 states, one movement. Around 900 demonstrations against the Trump administration were scheduled for April 19. In Indiana, protests were scheduled in Indianapolis, Kokomo, South Bend and Terre Haute.
On April 5, demonstrators similarly rallied in Bloomington at the Monroe County Courthouse for the “Hands Off!” protests against Trump and DOGE. On April 15, demonstrators gathered outside the Monroe Convention Center to protest a dignitary discussion that hosted Indiana Sen. Todd Young. Around 50 protestors gathered on Dunn Meadow April 17 to support academic freedom.
The decision to double up the protest with a food drive came from the national organization, which Washburn said suggested a greater focus on community service in addition to demonstrations. There were several food donation stations set up on the courthouse lawn, and by the time the protest ended at 2 p.m., the tables were brimming with canned goods. Washburn said she thought 50501 would try and plan similar events every few weeks.
Washburn said she was protesting because she was particularly concerned about immigration and Fifth Amendment rights.
“I'm really concerned about the lack of due process,” Washburn said. “People are just disappearing, and the administration is refusing to follow the judicial orders.”
Kathleen Gilbert, a professor emeritus at IU’s School of Public Health, said she was afraid for the future of the country that was being passed down to younger generations. She was specifically concerned about faculty tenure in the wake of the firing of Xiaofeng Wang and Nianli Ma.
“I look at that, and I think about the climate and how that has such a dampening effect on people who are interested in coming here,” Gilbert said.
Mallie Stevens attended with a sign reading “Hands off social security, public lands, and democracy.” She said she’s trying to make a change.
“I have four daughters who I don’t want to grow up in what this is becoming,” Stevens said.
Rea Kerse, a Bloomington local, said Indiana is dismantling her young nieces’ education. She attended the protest to show strength in numbers.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Kerse said. “I think that we’re in a slide toward fascism.”
