Dead meme Storm Area 51

Storm Area 51

"Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us", commonly referred to as Raid Area 51, Storm Area 51, or Area 51 Raid, was an American Facebook event that took place on September 20, 2019, at Area 51, a United States Air Force (USAF) facility within the Nevada Test and Training Range. The event, created by Matty Roberts on June 27, 2019, would involve raiding the site in a search for extraterrestrial life. More than 2 million people responded "going" and 1.5 million "interested" on the event's page, which subsequently attracted widespread media reaction and caused the event to become an Internet meme. Roberts later stated that the event was purely comedic, and disavowed responsibility for any casualties were there any actual attempts to raid the military base.

On the day of the event, only about 150 people were reported to have shown up at the entrance to Area 51, with none succeeding in entering the site. Two music festivals were planned to coincide with the event: Alienstock in Rachel, Nevada and Storm Area 51 Basecamp in Hiko, Nevada. An estimated 1,500 people attended these festivals, according to state and local law enforcement. Air Force spokeswoman Laura McAndrews stated government officials were briefed on the event and discouraged people from attempting to enter military property. Nevada law enforcement also warned potential participants in the event against trespassing. 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.

Facebook event and Internet meme

Roberts created the event on Facebook on June 27, 2019 as a joke, unaware of the viral attention it would receive.^[9][10][11] The event was planned to take place in Amargosa Valley from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. PDT on September 20, 2019.^[12][13][9] The Facebook event wrote, "If we naruto run, we can move faster than their bullets. Lets [sic] see them aliens",^[6] referring to the unique running style of anime character Naruto Uzumaki and several other characters, who run with their arms stretched behind them, head down and torso tilted forward.^[14][4] Roberts stated the event had only received around 40 responses three days into the event's listing and suddenly and unexpectedly went viral.^[12][15]

The resulting meme possibly spread first on the app TikTok, as well as Reddit and later Instagram.^[16] The Facebook page for the event was filled with thousands of satirical posts discussing means of breaking into Area 51.^[13] The meme's virality caused Roberts was worried that he would receive a visit from the FBI.^[8][15] The event received 2 million "going" and another 1.5 million "interested" signatures as of August 22.^[17][18][19]

Rapper Lil Nas X released a music video for the Young Thug and Mason Ramsey remix of "Old Town Road" about the planned raid.^[20][21][22] Copycat events such as plans to storm a genealogical vault of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,^[23] Loch Ness,^[24] and the Bermuda Triangle^[25] had also been created. In the Netherlands, a left-wing meme page known as "Memes for the Masses" created "Storm the Education Implementation Office Headquarters" event as a protest to student loans.^[26]

Gathering

While the event was intended as comedic, some took it seriously, and traveled to areas surrounding the facility.^[32] 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.^[33]

The Lincoln County Sheriff stated about 1,500 people showed up at the festivals, while over 150 people made the journey over several miles of rough roads to get near the gates to Area 51.^[32] While only one person ever crossed the boundary, receiving a warning, six others were arrested for crimes including public urination, alcohol related offences and indecent exposure.^[34][35][36]

Music festivals

wo music festivals were announced in the county in response to the event's popularity: Alienstock in Rachel, Nevada and Storm Area 51 Basecamp in Hiko, Nevada.^[37][38] Local governments and police feared that even these legal events could be problematic if too many individuals attended.^[37]

Event creator Roberts pulled out of Alienstock 10 days before the festival, leaving other organizers and booked entertainers to run the event.^[37] 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, although the Little A'Le'Inn owner Connie West continued with the name Alienstock in Rachel, Nevada.^[37] Roberts' lawyers sent her a cease and desist regarding use of the name, but West was in possession of all of the "Alienstock" permits and ignored the legal threats.^[39][40]

After the raid, Keith Wright, a promoter for the Area 51 Basecamp event, stated the event was a failure.^[41] However, Connie West, who organized Alienstock, declared her event a success.^[42] The event’s aftermath saw several pending lawsuits surrounding the festival and Robert's call to breach the government facility. ^[43] Although much less than the estimated 30,000 attendees expected before Roberts' departure and press campaign claiming Alienstock was canceled, the event was thought to have brought the largest influx of people to ever visit Lincoln County, Nevada.^[32]

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storm_Area_51