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It's a protest! It's a Star Wars hang! On May 4, it's both
A photo taken recently at a 50501 Orange County protest in front of the Irvine City Hall.
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Gaston Castellanos
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Courtesy 50501 Orange County
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Creative protest signs have always been an important accoutrement of demonstrations. Eight years ago, the Women's March spawned the once ubiquitous pink knitted "pussyhats." Costumed protesters have also been making appearances — for utilitarian purposes, for a little LOLs, a little irreverence.
So it is with this spirit that an Irvine protest this Sunday is calling for participants to cosplay in Star Wars gear. The Orange County edition of 50501 has been holding protests at Irvine City Hall every Sunday for the past 11 weeks, speaking out against Trump administration policies and spending cuts. Its goal aligns with those set out by its nationwide counterpart — 50 protests in 50 states under one unifying movement.
"The goals are to uphold the Constitution. That's kind of where we start. That's our baseline, and that's what we hope we can kind of get broad agreement on from people," said Daniel G., an organizer who is withholding the use of his last name because he fears retaliation against his sister, who's a federal worker.
Daniel said since they started keeping tabs, the local 50501 protests in Orange County have drawn as thousands of people on one recent day.
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May the Fourth be with you
On Sunday, the Irvine protest will take place again at City Hall starting at 2 p.m. But May 4, as the sci-fi fans knows, is also "Star Wars Day."
"At our core, we wanna find things that unite people. And one of the things that unites people are these fandoms, especially Star Wars," Daniel said.
So this Sunday, organizers are inviting demonstrators to join in their chosen Star Wars outfits. Daniel himself will be donning Yoda ears. He's heard someone who's coming in full white robe Jedi garb.
And someone even suggested wearing the unimaginable.
"They asked us if it were OK to come as Star Trek characters. Normally that would be a big divide, but in the spirit of finding unity, we're welcoming all fandoms. So look, if there are Pokemon people, come aboard. We're not turning anyone away," Daniel said.
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Because in order to shed light on issues, Daniel said, "one of the ways to talk about them is to help bring joy to people and bring people together."
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