This is NOT Normal

A billboard campaign for the political moment

Billboards in Southern Indiana are calling out Trump’s militarization of
law enforcement. The billboards are the work of a group called “Indiana District 9 50501” in Bloomington, IN. “50501” describes itself as “committed to peacefully raising awareness of current government overreach and protecting our constitution.” What follows is an open letter from the group to activists everywhere, encouraging them to use the above billboard image widely.

From Bloomington, IN Activists to Members of the Resistance,

We in 50501 were looking for ways to connect with local voters. Social media and traditional media were so splintered and siloed by audience that it was hard to reach people who didn’t already feel aligned with 50501. Yet almost everyone has to drive somewhere!

That’s how we identified billboards as a broad-reaching opportunity. During the 2024 presidential campaign, a women’s group from a neighboring rural county put up anti-Trump billboards, and we knew we could also erect billboards communicating the crisis in our country. One of our members with an art background went to work on images that would be recognizable from a distance.

“I had an epiphany that people in their mid-20s or younger have really never known a world without Trump and his cronies,” the designer said, “assuming they started becoming aware of politics and civics around age 15 or 16. I wanted to communicate to them that this is NOT how the U.S. government should operate, and the simple phrase ‘This is not normal’ kept echoing in my head. This was around the time that National Guard troops were being sent into American cities that lean left, so the visuals reflected that unprecedented and clear threat to anyone not MAGA.”

The headline of our billboard is “THIS IS NOT NORMAL.” We had no
trouble raising the funds to put up three billboards. Putting out donation
jars at demonstrations with copies of the billboard produced positive
results. We came up with this title even before Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said “This is not normal.”

Presented on Wikipedia

Since that first billboard was placed on a highway in our region, we have designed numerous other billboard images with messages about healthcare, inflation, calls for a monetary boycott, pleas for unification, and more. At rallies and protests, we have displayed three options and asked attendees to vote on their favorite by donating money into the corresponding jar. “The act of voting on their favorite design seemed to really inspire many people,” our designer said. “Some would put money in all three jars. Most thanked us profusely for doing this work. But the original message and design won hands down every time.”

The title “THIS IS NOT NORMAL” is adaptable to many situations and applies to so much of what this regime is doing — ignoring the constitution, laws, and even directives by judges. It does not say “ICE,” “Defund ICE,” or even mention “Trump,” nor does it suggest specific actions. It is an image that is immediately arresting and evokes a visceral response. The title is short enough to be printed in large, visible typeface.

Wouldn’t it be great if everywhere you turn you see this billboard?

We are sharing this image with any group that would like to put up billboards. The image is in JPG format that should be customized to identify each sponsoring organization. We worked with Lamar Advertising out of Atlanta, Georgia and a local agent. Images on rural state and interstate highways cost less than in urban areas and still get high traffic volume. “This is NOT Normal” is a powerful image to spread around the US, one that cannot be ignored.

Because the reality of our country’s occupation cannot be ignored.

By 50501 members who prefer not to be identified. We repeat: This is not normal, that Americans expressing their views have to worry about being labeled domestic terrorists.