Protesting Tips: What to Bring, How to Act, How to Stay Safe

“The most important thing to achieve,” says Williams, “is that you are in solidarity with other people. It is not your job to decide how things should happen. It is your job to present and listen to and support you. Priority is an incredibly important part of the experience. ”

Know your rights

In the United States, it is entirely in your rights to demonstrate peacefully in public. The fundamental act of bringing together and protesting against the actions of the government is undoubtedly protected, according to the first coalition, a Californian non -profit organization which is committed to protecting freedom of expression. In addition, as a general question, “people have the right to film or document things that happen in public space,” explains David Snyder, director of college.

That said, if it comes down to a question of strength and you are physically surpassed, you may have to weigh the risks of your immediate personal security, you have potentially your notes or your phone, and continue a legal action later. In addition, notes Snyder, the first amendment to the Constitution does not protect the demonstrators who engage in an illegal activity, which includes the destruction of goods or the aggression of other people.

According to the AcluYou can protest against government buildings with a few warnings. Your rights of freedom of expression are the strongest when you protest in “traditional public forums” such as streets and public parks or on sidewalks outside of government buildings. In addition, you cannot block access to government buildings or open things differently that activities are carried out in the building. (Apart from being very noisy, of course.)

Group

If you can avoid it, don’t protest alone. It is important that you are going with at least another person so that you can have the back of the other. There is strength in number. Know your “roles” within the group before leaving so that you can be prepared for anything. For example, perhaps one of you is ready to bring the group home if the situation becomes risk, maybe one of you has first aid training, or perhaps one of you is hyper-observer and ready to monitor your environment to keep an eye on the atmosphere. Stay near your group. Go to advance, stay together all the time and leave the demonstration together. If you do not have a group, consult the social media sites – there are probably discussions where you can find people to meet locally.

Plan

There will be a lot of people and a lot of emotions. You must have a plan for what to do if the situation degenerates. Choose a place to meet if your group is separated for a while. (For example, if you separate for more than 30 minutes, you find yourself in an designated street corner.) It could be intelligent to have some places to meet in case you are inaccessible. You should also have several planned routes if you need to leave and the streets are blocked. Is there a curfew where you live? Have previous protests in your city increased for violence? Will there be portable bathrooms parked along the route, or should you map places to relieve you after having choux of the water all day? Prepare a plan.

Take out your contact lenses

If you are exposed to tear gas or peppery gas, contacts will worsen the experience. Wear glasses if you have them. If you make contacts, protect your eyes with sunglasses at least, although, ideally, you will wear glasses or keep them at hand. For the same reason, avoid wearing makeup or oil -based products such as lotions, as irritants in the dispersion measured by the police can be held.

Note the emergency numbers

Note the information from your emergency contacts. Note the number of emergency legal advisers – Several law firms offer a pro bono representation for the demonstrators arrested. Look for companies in your region. You can also note the number of a local bond fund. You should have two copies of these phone numbers on your person: write them in the hidden notebook in your bag, on the hem of your shirt, or on a note card that you keep in your pocket. As redundancy, you can also write them somewhere on your body (like your forearms), preferably in a permanent marker.

While you are at the demonstration

Once arrived and join your demonstrators, follow these tips on how to behave and how to stay safe.

Study your environment

You can designate a certain person in your group to make it an absolute priority, but whatever you are, you must become aware of what is going on around you. This is important for many reasons. Does anyone wear steel boots, a colored armband and a hearing aid, and also showing the contour of the handcuffs in their pocket? This person could be an infiltrated cop. Does anyone carry a bag of supplies with a large Red Cross? They could be a street doctor. Did a demonstrator fell and injured himself while walking? Open eyes and ears will help you react faster if necessary.

Help those around you

If you walk, you will probably be close to a few dozen other demonstrators. These are the people you will sing, that you walk with it and the closest to the situation degenerates. Be friendly with them. Give them water if you have an additional cost or hold their belongings while they attach their shoes. Solidarity can start small. Remember that you are in a massive crowd; Suppose your actions are looked at and your words are listened to.

Do not vandalize

So you want to vandalize a waymo or a tesla. Well, let’s start with the warning that Wired officially encourages you not to do it. Even if you feel that Teslas is extremely punished these days because of their association with Elon Musk, or that Waymos is a symbol of the encroachment of Big Tech in our society, the vandalization or the rupture of the property of someone else is, yes, against the law, and you can face fines or a legal action to do this.

It is also important to keep in mind what is happening in the aftermath of a bit of windshield or sprayed paint F-You. First of all, you could be spotted by a vehicle integrated cameras. Getting caught up with one of these cars has more risks than normal. For example, the FBI has investigated attacks against Teslas as “domestic terrorism. “You could also draw the anger of extremists there are relaxed for Elon.