This is not everything, but these are some important basics for safely attending a protest.
Learn about what you are protesting ahead of time and understand exactly what you will be arguing; don't expect others to educate you when you get there.
You have the right to attend a protest, but there have been many instances where rights are violated by police, so understand what your rights are. Read more about your rights protesting Here.
Wear closed toe walking shoes, dress according to weather, cover any identifying tattoos, cover dyed hair, and wear non-descript clothes. Bring water, id, basic first aid kit, snacks. You can and should bring your phone, but make sure your location is off, your phone is on password lock only, and that Siri is disabled.
Be prepared to be arrested: don't bring anything you wouldn't want the police to catch you with, carry an id, lock your phone. Don't consent to searches, don't accept gum/cigarettes/ anything they can get DNA from, don't agree to or sign anything without the presence of a lawyer. Only give your name and id card. You don't have to say anything else, but make sure to disclose that you are utilizing your right to stay silent.
Be prepared to record: Record arrests, record police interactions. Police can not delete anything from your phone and you have the right to record. Record injuries, violence. If you are recording the protest, make sure not to record anyone's face or post anything without their consent; it's rude and could also compromise their safety.
Be ready for retaliation if you participate in civil disobedience.
DO NOT RUN: Always walk slowly with a group. This is for a multitude of reasons: Running causes panic and other people will start running too; The police might react if you run from them; You could injure yourself or others. Stay Calm if violence occurs and make sure to move away from it if possible.
Don't go to a protest alone; always have a trusted friend or group you will be going with so that you can be held accountable and so that you have witnesses/ can stay safe. There is safety in numbers, especially at a large event.
For if you get separated, decide on a meet-up spot. If you become unsafe, plan an escape route. If you need to leave quickly, plan that out ahead of time. Never leave yourself in a situation where you don't know where to go or what to do.
If you have white privilege, you should be prepared to use it to help shield those around you from police violence, be it with your body or with your presence. Protect those around you if you can.
Planning a protest is no simple feat, so make sure you don't do it alone. Build a team of people you trust and can work with to make the protest as impactful as possible. You'll need people to keep it peaceful and people to organize to start, so make sure the team works!
Make sure that when you decide on the time and place of your protest, that you follow legal proceedings. Typically, you don't need a permit unless you plan to block traffic, so plan accordingly and get that permit.
When organizing a protest, you need to make sure that as many people as possible attend, so use your team and spread the word! Use posters, social media, face-to-face invitations, pass out flyers, contact local news, build it up so that a lot of people show up.
Make sure that your message for the protest is clear. Make colorful posters, invite speakers, create hashtags, spread chants that make it easy to understand what the protest is for.
Make sure your attendees know how to react if there is police interference, if there is tear gas. Make sure there is water for people to drink and that people are prepared for the weather. Keeping people safe should be your priority.
Not everyone will agree with your protest, or your cause, or your methods, so be ready. There might be a counter protest, so remind your attendees to avoid conflict and to ignore them. Violence is not your goal.
Make sure to have people taking videos, taking pictures. Invite news outlets or journalists if you choose, but make sure that you give them the clear message of what the event is about so that it won't get twisted in headlines.
Don't let this be the only event! There are others way to advocate after, before, and instead of the protest, so make sure people know about it. Write letters to legislators, sign petitions, donate to non-profits, there is always more ways to impact your community.
After a successful pretest make sure you have set aside time to clean up the site so that you can't be associated to any trash left behind. The message will be tainted if you leave your protests site a mess, so make sure to pick up trash and break down your supplies.
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