# Hundreds of thousands of people plan to rush Area 51 so they can see aliens **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 12, 2019, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-plan-to-rush-area-51-so-they-can-see-aliens/836988 "2019-07-12T21:51:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-plan-to-rush-area-51-so-they-can-see-aliens/836988/1 "2019-07-12T21:51:57Z")
Unlikely that any more than a dozen would actually show up, but [several hundred thousand people plan to storm the Area 51 facility in September to get a look at those aliens in freezers.](https://www.lasvegasnow.com/news/local-news/400k-plus-people-join-facebook-event-plan-to-storm-area-51-to-see-them-aliens/?fbclid=IwAR3etWJKxEQzmILjtKnlmbYsaEnOg_PqsnDMsxvf-HDMTfW9ufJLGIFcZ5c) There are also Facebook planning groups for the “event”. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-plan-to-rush-area-51-so-they-can-see-aliens/836988/2 "2019-07-12T21:54:18Z")
I wish them lots of luck. It’s not going to be as easy as storming the fences at Woodstock. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-plan-to-rush-area-51-so-they-can-see-aliens/836988/3 "2019-07-12T22:13:35Z")
I’m hoping for some entertaining YouTube videos. I imagine a large-scale recreation of that time a bunch of idiots tried to blockade an ICE facility in the pacific northwest and got pepperballed and arrested for their trouble. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-plan-to-rush-area-51-so-they-can-see-aliens/836988/4 "2019-07-12T22:22:34Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Unlikely that any more than a dozen would actually show up, but [several hundred thousand people plan to storm the Area 51 facility in September to get a look at those aliens in freezers.](https://www.lasvegasnow.com/news/local-news/400k-plus-people-join-facebook-event-plan-to-storm-area-51-to-see-them-aliens/?fbclid=IwAR3etWJKxEQzmILjtKnlmbYsaEnOg_PqsnDMsxvf-HDMTfW9ufJLGIFcZ5c) More “several thousand people clicked the ‘going to attend’ button on Facebook.” ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-plan-to-rush-area-51-so-they-can-see-aliens/836988/5 "2019-07-12T22:24:25Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > More “several thousand people clicked the ‘going to attend’ button on Facebook.” When I checked this morning I think over 400,000 clicked. Someone has already done a simulation: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjVFA71BF-Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjVFA71BF-Y) ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-plan-to-rush-area-51-so-they-can-see-aliens/836988/6 "2019-07-12T22:37:21Z")
They do know that the military guards that place, and they’re authorized to shoot to kill intruders? ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-plan-to-rush-area-51-so-they-can-see-aliens/836988/7 "2019-07-12T22:41:58Z")
> [@](#): > > Multiple news publications ran the story by July 9th and 10th, including LiveScience, The Daily Mail, and Newsweek, with the highlight of their articles being the high number of those that clicked ‘Going’ to the event, but without acknowledging the joke elements of the event post. The same could be said for the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-plan-to-rush-area-51-so-they-can-see-aliens/836988/8 "2019-07-12T22:48:07Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > They do know that the military guards that place, and they’re authorized to shoot to kill intruders? I know that the signs say it, and it’s a common trope that they’ll do it, but does anyone know if any of the security for special weapons/material storage areas or national security areas like Area 51, have ever shot and killed trespassers? I know about the guy who drove onto past the gates at Mercury, onto the Nevada National Security Site, left his vehicle with a metallic object in his hand, and got ventilated for his trouble, but IMHO, that would’ve happened on any felony traffic stop in Nye County. I mean cases like where people “break red” on an Air Force Base or No Lone Zone, and the security forces actually shoot at them. I’ve never heard of such an occurrence. Though I guess the Air Force SPs love to take people down, and hold them at gunpoint should their procedures be violated. But for instances like alleged trespassers at Pantex, the Plowshares people trespassing on Minuteman silos or at Y-12, or even the latest trespassing incident at the Vallecitos Nuclear Facility, nobody got shot at. So I’m wondering if it’s ever happened. I have heard of the Red Army Faction trying to raid a special weapons depot near Giessen, Germany in the 1970s, that resulted in gunfire. For the OP: the gate and fence are 10s of miles from the base itself. I hope the protesters packed a lunch and lots of water. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-plan-to-rush-area-51-so-they-can-see-aliens/836988/9 "2019-07-12T22:51:14Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > I know that the signs say it, and it’s a common trope that they’ll do it, but does anyone know if any of the security for special weapons/material storage areas or national security areas like Area 51, have ever shot and killed trespassers? > > I know about the guy who drove onto past the gates at Mercury, onto the Nevada National Security Site, left his vehicle with a metallic object in his hand, and got ventilated for his trouble, but IMHO, that would’ve happened on any felony traffic stop in Nye County. I mean cases like where people “break red” on an Air Force Base or No Lone Zone, and the security forces actually shoot at them. > > I’ve never heard of such an occurrence. Though I guess the Air Force SPs love to take people down, and hold them at gunpoint should their procedures be violated. But for instances like alleged trespassers at Pantex, the Plowshares people trespassing on Minuteman silos or at Y-12, or even the latest trespassing incident at the Vallecitos Nuclear Facility, nobody got shot at. So I’m wondering if it’s ever happened. > > I have heard of the Red Army Faction trying to raid a special weapons depot near Giessen, Germany in the 1970s, that resulted in gunfire. > > For the OP: the gate and fence are 10s of miles from the base itself. I hope the protesters packed a lunch and lots of water. For the Area 51 guards, this would probably be the funnest event of their careers. They probably spend entire years patrolling that empty wasteland with nothing happening. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-plan-to-rush-area-51-so-they-can-see-aliens/836988/10 "2019-07-12T22:51:40Z")
I mean, even the White House’s security staff doesn’t canoe the heads of trespassers. Or even guys shooting at them from the street. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-plan-to-rush-area-51-so-they-can-see-aliens/836988/11 "2019-07-12T22:56:06Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > For the Area 51 guards, this would probably be the funnest event of their careers. They probably spend entire years patrolling that empty wasteland with nothing happening. I imagine it would be a gigantic pain in the ass for them if they actually had to discharge any of their weapons. AIUI, for previous cases of trespassing, they arrest the trespassers and hold them for Nye County Sheriff’s officers. I’ve never heard of them having to use more force than the minimum to effect an arrest. Do the security guys from EG&G or G4S, or whoever has the contract now, get qualified immunity as federal or state law enforcement officers? Jeez, I don’t know if they’ve been sued for unlawful use of force or deprivation of civil rights under color of authority, but could you imagine what a pain discovery would be for them? At least they admit the base exists now. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-plan-to-rush-area-51-so-they-can-see-aliens/836988/12 "2019-07-12T23:05:55Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > I know that the signs say it, and it’s a common trope that they’ll do it, but does anyone know if any of the security for special weapons/material storage areas or national security areas like Area 51, have ever shot and killed trespassers? My BIL was a civilian contractor for the Air Force (at least that is what he claimed… not questioning what he did but the “civilian” part) and worked on the F-117 program and went to area 51 often. He said one time he was distracted and accidentally walked out of a wrong door and said that before he knew it he was face down with an M16 pointed at his head so I don’t doubt that if they needed to they would shoot someone trying to run into the area without a second thought. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-plan-to-rush-area-51-so-they-can-see-aliens/836988/13 "2019-07-12T23:13:01Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > My BIL was a civilian contractor for the Air Force (at least that is what he claimed… not questioning what he did but the “civilian” part) and worked on the F-117 program and went to area 51 often. > > He said one time he was distracted and accidentally walked out of a wrong door and said that before he knew it he was face down with an M16 pointed at his head so I don’t doubt that if they needed to they would shoot someone trying to run into the area without a second thought. Yep, and that happens quite a bit, if the accounts of pilots/ground crew and their interactions with Air Force SPs is taken at face value. (Oakminster? LSLGuy? Any stories?) AIUI, the term is “breaking red” for the red line that’s painted around things like aircraft, bunkers, etc… There are designated areas where people can come and go to those things, and if you don’t go through those areas, you get to taste concrete for awhile with a gun to the back of your head. Though I thought they generally hailed the trespasser before going hands on… But they generally don’t shoot. Or I’d not heard of them doing it. (Do they even have ammunition chambered in their weapons most of the time?) It’s a common story though, and so common, I was wondering if there’d been any unintentional discharges by the security personnel. Or intentional. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-plan-to-rush-area-51-so-they-can-see-aliens/836988/14 "2019-07-12T23:23:54Z")
Not quite the same but tonight, hundreds are going to storm **out** of a [theater](https://thecolonialtheatre.com/programs/blobfest-2019-friday-night-the-run-out/) in Phoenixville, PA. Hey, [The Blob](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051418/) was (is?) an alien. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-plan-to-rush-area-51-so-they-can-see-aliens/836988/15 "2019-07-12T23:24:34Z")
I wonder if Will Smith is going. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-plan-to-rush-area-51-so-they-can-see-aliens/836988/16 "2019-07-12T23:24:37Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > (Do they even have ammunition chambered in their weapons most of the time?) Funny you should mention this… we went with him to the Dayton Air Show the first time the F-117 was on public display. It was roped off with an armed guard and while walking up he told us “I guarantee you he has a round chambered.” He also from about 50 yards away said “it’s one of the older ones.” He chatted with the guard who very quickly snapped into a much more attentive position after a couple of comments my BIL made. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-plan-to-rush-area-51-so-they-can-see-aliens/836988/17 "2019-07-12T23:42:58Z")
Not this hill I want to die on. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2019, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-plan-to-rush-area-51-so-they-can-see-aliens/836988/18 "2019-07-13T00:00:42Z")
The FB group and the entire event were just set up as a joke, but when I first heard about it I thought about starting a thread here about what would be the actual AF response if it were a credible threat to the base. My thoughts were that 200k (at the time) people on foot would just be fun for the defenders armed with water cannons. Mix in a little tear gas and pepper spray for seasoning and it’ll just be one big party. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2019, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-plan-to-rush-area-51-so-they-can-see-aliens/836988/19 "2019-07-13T00:02:09Z")
That number of people may have clicked the button. The 35 or so people who may actually show up in the area will have little support. Internet support is not real. A few people who can support themselves in a small town, in the middle of no where. In what is actually just a one bar/café town. Click bait news. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2019, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-plan-to-rush-area-51-so-they-can-see-aliens/836988/20 "2019-07-13T00:05:36Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I’m hoping for some entertaining YouTube videos. I imagine a large-scale recreation of that time a bunch of idiots tried to blockade an ICE facility in the pacific northwest and got pepperballed and arrested for their trouble. I agree they are idiots. But really? You want to watch them get shot? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-plan-to-rush-area-51-so-they-can-see-aliens/836988.md?page=2)