Storm Area 51
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Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us was an American
Facebook event Facebook is a social-network service website launched on February 4, 2004, by Mark Zuckerberg. The following is a list of software and technology features that can be found on the Facebook website and mobile app and are available to users of ...
that took place on and around September 20, 2019, in the desert surrounding
Area 51 Area 51 is the common name of a highly classified United States Air Force (USAF) facility within the Nevada Test and Training Range in southern Nevada, north-northwest of Las Vegas. A remote detachment administered by Edwards Air Force B ...
, a highly-classified
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
(USAF) facility within the
Nevada Test and Training Range The Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) is one of two military training areas at the Nellis Air Force Base Complex in Nevada and used by the United States Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base. The NTTR land area includes a "simu ...
. The event, created as a
sardonic Sardonicism is form of wit or humour, where being sardonic often involves expressing an uncomfortable truth in a clever and not necessarily malicious way, often with a degree of distrust or skepticism; or behavior disdainfully, cynically humoro ...
shitpost by Matty Roberts on June 27, 2019, asked Facebook users to band together and raid the site in a search for
extraterrestrial life Extraterrestrial life, or alien life (colloquially, aliens), is life that originates from another world rather than on Earth. No extraterrestrial life has yet been scientifically conclusively detected. Such life might range from simple forms ...
that conspiracy-theory lore claims may be concealed inside. More than 2 million people responded "going" and 1.5 million "interested" on the event's page, which subsequently attracted widespread media attention and caused the event to become an
Internet meme An Internet meme, or meme (, Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through Social media, social media platforms. Internet memes manif ...
. Roberts later stated his intentions for the event had been purely comedic, and disavowed responsibility for any casualties had there been any actual attempt to raid the military base. On the day of the event, only about 150 people were reported to have shown up at the two entrances to Area 51, with none succeeding in entering the site. Two
music festival A music festival is a festival, community event with music, performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock music, rock, blues, folk music, folk, jazz, classical music), nation ...
s were planned to coincide with the event: Alienstock in
Rachel, Nevada Rachel is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lincoln County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 48. As the closest settlement to the Nellis Air Force Range and Area 51, Rachel enjoys a modest celebrity status, ...
, and Storm Area 51 Basecamp in
Hiko, Nevada Hiko is a small, agrarian community in the Tonopah Basin on State Route 318 in Lincoln County, Nevada, United States. It is a census-designated place, with a population of 119 at the 2010 census. Description The first permanent settlement a ...
. An estimated 1,500 people attended these festivals, according to state and local
law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...
. Air Force spokeswoman Grace Manock stated government officials were briefed on the event and discouraged people from attempting to enter military property.
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
law enforcement also warned potential participants against
trespassing Trespass to land, also called trespass to realty or trespass to real property, or sometimes simply trespass, is a common law tort or a crime that is committed when an individual or the object of an individual intentionally (or, in Australia, ...
. The event had an effect on businesses both locally in Nevada and around the United States, which prepared products for visitors and those attending the event.


Background

Area 51 is a common name given to a
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
(USAF) facility in the
Nevada Test and Training Range The Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) is one of two military training areas at the Nellis Air Force Base Complex in Nevada and used by the United States Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base. The NTTR land area includes a "simu ...
. Opening in 1955, the facility functioned as an aircraft testing and development facility during the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
. The facility is kept highly classified, protected from unauthorized entry by warning signs, electronic surveillance and armed guards. The CIA declassified documents related to Area 51 and recognized its existence in 2013. Area 51's intense secrecy has caused it to become the subject of many
conspiracy theories A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * ...
regarding the presence of aliens on the site. These began in the 1950s, when some individuals reported seeing
UFOs An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...
at the location of the base. Conspiracy theorists believe aliens, UFOs, or information related to them are stored at Area 51.


Facebook event and Internet meme

Matty Roberts was a
Bakersfield Bakersfield is a city in and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, which is located in the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's population as of the ...
resident, and a moderator of the Facebook page ''Shitposting cause I'm in shambles''. "
Shitposting In Internet culture, shitposting or trashposting is the act of using an online forum or social media page to post content that is of "aggressively, ironically, and trollishly poor quality".: : : : : Shitposts are generally intentionally desig ...
" is the act of posting content online with intentionally ironic or poor quality. Matty devised the idea of creating the Storm Area 51 event after watching Area 51 conspiracy theorist
Bob Lazar Robert Scott Lazar (; born January 26, 1959) is an American conspiracy theorist. In 1989, Lazar claimed to have been part of a classified US government project concerned with the reverse engineering of extraterrestrial technology; he also purp ...
and filmmaker
Jeremy Corbell Jeremy Kenyon Lockyer Corbell (born February 3, 1977) is an American contemporary artist, filmmaker and ufologist based in Los Angeles, California. Initially gaining prominence as a visual artist, by the late 2010s Corbell became a well known fig ...
on ''
The Joe Rogan Experience ''The Joe Rogan Experience'' is a podcast hosted by American comedian, presenter, and UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. It was initiated on December 24, 2009, on YouTube by Rogan and comedian Brian Redban, who was its sole co-host and produce ...
'' podcast on June 20, 2019. He created the event on
Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
on June 27, 2019. The event was planned to take place in
Amargosa Valley The Amargosa Valley is the valley through which the Amargosa River flows south, in Nye County, southwestern Nevada and Inyo County in the state of California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies ...
from 3a.m. to 6a.m. PDT on September 20, 2019. The Facebook event wrote, "If we naruto run, we can move faster than their bullets. Lets see them aliens 'sic''">sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic'', referring to the distinctive running style of anime character Naruto Uzumaki and several other List of Naruto characters, characters, who run with their arms stretched behind them, head down and torso tilted forward. Roberts stated the event had only received around 40 responses three days into the event's listing, before it suddenly and unexpectedly went viral. The resulting
meme A meme (; ) is an idea, behavior, or style that Mimesis, spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying c ...
quickly spread to other social media applications such as
TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...
,
Reddit Reddit ( ) is an American Proprietary software, proprietary social news news aggregator, aggregation and Internet forum, forum Social media, social media platform. Registered users (commonly referred to as "redditors") submit content to the ...
, and
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
. The Facebook page for the event was filled with thousands of satirical posts discussing topics like means of breaking into Area 51. The meme's virality caused Roberts to worry that he would receive a visit from the
Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
. The event received 2million "going" and another 1.5 million "interested" signatures as of August 22. Rapper
Lil Nas X Montero Lamar Hill (born April 9, 1999), better known by his stage name Lil Nas X ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his 2018 country rap single "Old Town Road," the longest-running nu ...
released a music video for the
Young Thug Jeffery Lamar Williams II (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, he is considered an influential figure in modern hip hop music, hip hop and trap music ...
and
Mason Ramsey Mason Blake Ramsey (born November 16, 2006) is an American singer. In March 2018, after gaining Internet fame from a viral video of him yodeling "Lovesick Blues" by Hank Williams at a Walmart, Ramsey was signed to Big Loud. Early life Mason B ...
remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...
of "
Old Town Road "Old Town Road" is the debut mainstream single by the American rapper and singer Lil Nas X, first released independently in December 2018. After gaining popularity, the single was re-released by Columbia Records in March 2019. He also recorded ...
" about the planned raid. Copycat events such as plans to storm a genealogical vault of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
,
Loch Ness Loch Ness (; ) is a large freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands. It takes its name from the River Ness, which flows from the northern end. Loch Ness is best known for claimed sightings of the cryptozoology, cryptozoological Loch Ness Mons ...
, the
Bermuda Triangle The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a loosely defined region in the North Atlantic Ocean, roughly bounded by Florida, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. Since the mid-20th century, it has been the focus of an urban legend sug ...
, the
US Capitol Building The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the federal government. It is located on Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall in W ...
and the Vatican City's
archives An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials, in any medium, or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organ ...
were also created.


Response


National government

On July 10, speaking with ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'', Air Force spokeswoman Laura McAndrews stated officials were aware of the event, and issued a warning saying: " rea 51is an open training range for the U.S. Air Force, and we would discourage anyone from trying to come into the area where we train American armed forces", adding that "The U.S. Air Force always stands ready to protect America and its assets". A public information officer at
Nellis Air Force Base Nellis Air Force Base ("Nellis" colloquialism, colloq.) is a United States Air Force military installation, installation in southern Nevada. Nellis hosts Aerial warfare, air combat exercises such as Exercise Red Flag and close air support exerc ...
told
KNPR KNPR (88.9 MHz, "News 88.9") is a non-commercial, listener-supported, public radio station in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned by Nevada Public Radio and it airs news and talk programming from National Public Radio (NPR) and other public radio ...
that "any attempt to illegally access the area is highly discouraged". The FBI also stated that they would be monitoring the situation and the number of people that would come to the events. The events also prompted the
Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...
(FAA) to post two temporary flight restrictions, closing the airspace above two places nearby Area 51 during the days surrounding the planned raid. The
Defense Visual Information Distribution Service The Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS), formerly the Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System, is an operation supported by the Defense Media Activity (DMA). It provides a connection between world media and the American ...
(DVIDS), the military's public relations office, made a Twitter post on September 20 depicting military personnel and a
B-2 stealth bomber The Northrop B-2 Spirit, also known as the Stealth Bomber, is an American heavy strategic bomber, featuring low-observable stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses. A subsonic flying wing with a crew of two, th ...
with the caption "The last thing #Millennials will see if they attempt the #area51raid today". The tweet was later deleted, and the DVIDS issued an apology.


Local government

In August 2019, Lincoln County officials drafted an
emergency declaration A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...
and a plan to pool resources with neighboring counties, anticipating the region being overwhelmed by a crowd of 40,000 people. The county had just 184 hotel rooms, and officials expected the local cellphone network to be unable to cope with the additional traffic; they also expressed concerns about overcrowding at campsites, gas stations, and public medical facilities. County sheriff Kerry Lee said an extra 300
paramedic A paramedic is a healthcare professional trained in the medical model, whose main role has historically been to respond to emergency calls for medical help outside of a hospital. Paramedics work as part of the emergency medical services (EMS), ...
s and 150
police officer A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a Warrant (law), warranted law employee of a police, police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. ...
s would be brought in from across Nevada. The town of Rachel posted a caution on its website, advising attendees to be "experienced in camping, hiking and surviving in a harsh desert environment and have a vehicle in good shape". They advised that the town would likely be unable to provide sufficient food, water or gas to visitors, and expected local law enforcement to be overwhelmed. The website warned that local residents would readily protect their property, predicting that Alienstock would be "
Fyre Festival Fyre Festival was a luxury music festival organized by American businessman Billy McFarland and American rapper Ja Rule. It was originally created to promote the company's Fyre app for booking music talent. The festival was scheduled to take pl ...
2.0".


Businesses

Business owners in and around
Rachel, Nevada Rachel is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lincoln County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 48. As the closest settlement to the Nellis Air Force Range and Area 51, Rachel enjoys a modest celebrity status, ...
, a town of just 56 people just outside of the base, made preparations for visitors who planned to go to Area 51. Connie West, co-owner of the Little A'Le'Inn restaurant and inn, had all 13 rooms of the inn booked and planned to open up for camping, also stating she would possibly create merchandise for the event.
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
businessman George Harris planned to hire bands to play at an annual festival called "The Swarm". Kosmic Kae, owner of the shop Aliens R Us in
Boulder City Boulder City is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is approximately southeast of Las Vegas. As of the 2020 census, the population of Boulder City was 14,885. The city took its name from Boulder Canyon. Boulder City is one of o ...
, stated that even though the shop was away from Area 51, business had increased due to fascination regarding aliens. Other businesses around the U.S. based products and services on the event, and a collection of merchandise related to the event was launched from online retailers.
Bud Light Anheuser-Busch, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, is the largest brewing company in the United States, with a market share of 45 percent in 2016. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and nearly 20 in oth ...
planned to release a promotional alien-themed beer label and promised a free beer to "any alien that makes it out" as long as a tweet showing the new design received 51,000 retweets.
Fast food Fast food is a type of Mass production, mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. ''Fast food'' is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheat ...
restaurant
Arby's Arby's is an American fast-food restaurant, fast food sandwich restaurant chain with more than 3,300 restaurants. The flagship property of Inspire Brands, it ranked third in systemwide sales in the United States in the quick-service and fast-ca ...
had planned to deliver food with a special menu to the event.


Gathering and music festivals

While the event was intended as comedic, some took it seriously, and traveled to areas surrounding the facility. Beginning on September 19, the day before the planned event date, people were reported to be showing up and camping around Rachel in preparation for the raid. The Lincoln County Sheriff estimated that about 1,500 people showed up at the festivals, while about 150 people made the journey over several miles of rough roads to the back gate of Area 51. Some camped overnight outside the perimeter of the base while others arrived to gather and take
selfie A selfie () is a self-portrait photograph or a short video, typically taken with an electronic camera or smartphone. The camera would be usually held at arm's length or supported by a selfie stick instead of being controlled with a self-timer ...
s near the front gate before leaving. One person attempted to enter the facility and received a warning, while six others were arrested for crimes including
public urination Public urination refers to Urination, urinating in a public space without using designated facilities such as toilets or urinals. This includes urinating against trees, lamp posts, house walls, doorways, or gardens. In modern times, public urina ...
, alcohol-related offenses and
indecent exposure Indecent exposure is the deliberate public exposure by a person of a portion of their body in a manner contrary to local standards of appropriate behavior. Laws and social attitudes regarding indecent exposure vary significantly in different ...
. Near Rachel, two people were injured in a rollover crash which resulted in one victim being
airlifted An airlift is the organized delivery of supplies or personnel primarily via military transport aircraft. Airlifting consists of two distinct types: strategic and tactical. Typically, strategic airlifting involves moving material long distan ...
to
Dixie Regional Medical Center Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital (formerly Dixie Regional Medical Center (DRMC)) is a 284-bed hospital located on two campuses in St. George, Utah, United States. St. George Regional is the major medical referral center for northwester ...
. The speed of the emergency response was abnormally fast for an area so remote, and one of the victims expressed gratitude to the emergency personnel who were stationed close by to monitor the Alienstock festival. Two
music festival A music festival is a festival, community event with music, performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock music, rock, blues, folk music, folk, jazz, classical music), nation ...
s were announced in the county in response to the event's popularity: Alienstock in
Rachel, Nevada Rachel is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lincoln County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 48. As the closest settlement to the Nellis Air Force Range and Area 51, Rachel enjoys a modest celebrity status, ...
, and Storm Area 51 Basecamp in
Hiko, Nevada Hiko is a small, agrarian community in the Tonopah Basin on State Route 318 in Lincoln County, Nevada, United States. It is a census-designated place, with a population of 119 at the 2010 census. Description The first permanent settlement a ...
. Local governments and police feared that even these legal events could be problematic if too many individuals attended. Event creator Roberts pulled out of Alienstock 10 days before the festival, leaving other organizers and booked entertainers to run the event. Roberts claimed his last-minute departure with $70,000–$100,000 in sponsorship money and donations was "due to poor planning", and he instead joined an alien-themed party already planned in
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
, although the
Little A'Le'Inn Rachel is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lincoln County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 48. As the closest settlement to the Nellis Air Force Range and Area 51, Rachel enjoys a modest celebrity status, p ...
owner Connie West continued with the name Alienstock in Rachel, Nevada. Roberts's lawyers sent her a
cease and desist A cease and desist letter is a document sent by one party, often a business, to warn another party that they believe the other party is committing an unlawful act, such as copyright infringement, and that they will take legal action if the oth ...
regarding use of the name, but West was in possession of all of the Alienstock permits and ignored the legal threats. After the raid, Keith Wright, a promoter for the Area 51 Basecamp event, stated that his event was a failure. Connie West, who organized Alienstock, declared her event a success. The event's aftermath saw several pending lawsuits surrounding the festival and Roberts's call to breach the government facility. Although much less than the estimated 30,000 attendees expected before Roberts's departure—and a press campaign claiming Alienstock was canceled—the event was thought to have brought the largest influx of people ever to visit Lincoln County at the same time.


See also

* 2012 Saudi Arabia mass trespasses *
World Contact Day World Contact Day was first declared in March 1953 by an organization called the ''International Flying Saucer Bureau'' (IFSB), as a day on which all IFSB members would attempt to send a telepathic message into space. The IFSB voted to hold such ...
* World UFO Day *
Josh fight Josh is a masculine given name, frequently a diminutive (hypocorism) of the given names Joshua or Joseph, though since the 1970s, it has increasingly become a full name on its own. It may refer to: People A–J *Big Josh, stage name for America ...
, another real-life gathering originating as an Internet meme *
Suntukan sa Ace Hardware ''Suntukan sa Ace Hardware'' () was a Facebook event that took place on April 15, 2016, at an Ace Hardware branch at SM City Lucena in Lucena, Quezon, supposedly for a free-for-all fistfighting match. Thousands of Filipino netizens responded ...
, a mock fight originating as an Internet meme turned into a promotional event for a hardware store


References


External links

*
Facebook event


!-- HOW is this link relevant to the article? --> {{coords, 37.5941, -115.8988, display=title 2010s fads and trends 2019 in Internet culture 2019 in Nevada Area 51 Facebook Internet memes introduced in 2019 Military UFO conspiracy theories in the United States Reddit September 2019 in the United States