“The most important thing to realize,” Williams says, “is that you’re showing up in solidarity with other people. It’s not your job to decide how things should go. It’s your job to show up and listen and be in support. Deprioritizing yourself is an incredibly important part of the experience.”
Know Your Rights
In the US, it’s entirely within your rights to peacefully demonstrate in public. The basic act of assembling and protesting the government’s actions is unquestionably protected, according to the First Amendment Coalition, a California nonprofit that’s committed to protecting freedom of speech. Also, as a general matter, “people have the right to film or otherwise document things that are happening in the public space,” says David Snyder, director of the FAC.
That said, if it comes down to a matter of force and you are physically outmatched, you may have to weigh the risks to your immediate personal safety, potentially have your notes or phone stripped from you, and pursue legal action later on. Also, Snyder notes, the First Amendment to the Constitution does not protect protesters who engage in unlawful activity, which includes destroying property or assaulting other people.
According to the ACLU, you are able to protest at government buildings with a few caveats. Your free-speech rights are the strongest when you protest in “traditional public forums” like public streets and parks or on sidewalks outside government buildings. Also, you cannot block access to government buildings or otherwise get in the way of activities being performed at the building. (Other than being very noisy, of course.)
Form a Group
If you can avoid it, don’t protest alone. It’s important that you go with at least one other person so you can have each other’s backs. There is strength in numbers. Know your “roles” within the group before you go so you can be prepared for anything. For example, maybe one of you is prepared to drive the group home if the situation gets dicey, maybe one of you has first-aid training, or maybe one of you is hyper-observant and prepared to monitor your surroundings to keep tabs on the vibe. Stay close to your group. Meet up beforehand, stick together the entire time, and leave the protest together. If you don’t have a group, check social media sites—there are probably discussions where you can find people to meet up with locally.
Make a Plan
There will be a lot of people and a lot of emotions. You need to have a plan for what to do if the situation escalates. Pick a spot to meet if your group gets separated for a certain amount of time. (For example, if you get separated for more than 30 minutes, you meet back at a designated street corner.) It might be smart to have a few spots to meet at in case one is inaccessible. You should also have multiple routes planned for if you need to leave and streets are blocked off. Is there a curfew where you live? Have previous protests in your city escalated to violence? Will there be portable bathrooms stationed along the route, or should you map out places to relieve yourself after chugging water all day? Prep a plan.
Take Out Your Contact Lenses
If you’re exposed to tear gas or pepper spray, contacts will make the experience much worse. Wear glasses if you have them. If you wear contacts, protect your eyes with sunglasses at the minimum, though ideally you’ll be wearing goggles or keeping them handy. For the same reason, avoid wearing makeup or oil-based products like lotions, as the irritants in dispersion measures deployed by police can stick to them.
Write Down Emergency Numbers
Write down your emergency contacts’ information. Write down the number of emergency legal counsel—several law firms offer pro bono representation for arrested protesters. Research the firms in your area. You may also want to write down the number of a local bond fund. You should have two copies of these phone numbers on your person—write them in the notepad stashed in your bag, on the hem of your shirt, or on a notecard that you keep in your pocket. As a redundancy, you can also write them somewhere on your body (like your forearms), preferably in permanent marker.
While You’re at the Protest
Once you arrive and join in with your fellow protesters, follow this advice on how to behave and how to stay safe.
Study Your Surroundings
You can designate a certain person in your group to make this a top priority, but regardless of who you’re with, you should maintain awareness of what’s going on around you. This is important for numerous reasons. Is someone wearing steel-toed boots, a colored armband, and a hearing device, and also showing the outline of handcuffs in their pocket? That person might be an undercover cop. Is someone carrying a bag of supplies emblazoned with a big red cross? They might be a street medic. Did a protester fall down and get hurt while marching? Open eyes and ears will help you react more quickly when needed.
Help Those Around You
If you’re marching, you’re probably going to be in close proximity to a few dozen other protesters. These are the people you’ll be chanting with, walking with, and closest to if the situation escalates. Be friendly with them. Offer them water if you’ve got extra, or hold their stuff while they tie their shoes. Solidarity can start small. Remember that you’re in a massive crowd; assume your actions are being watched and that your words are being listened to.
Don’t 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 that. Even if you feel Teslas are extremely punchable these days because of their association with Elon Musk, or that Waymos are a symbol of Big Tech’s encroachment into our society, vandalizing or breaking somebody else’s property is, yes, against the law, and you may face fines or legal action for doing so.
It’s also important to keep in mind what happens in the aftermath of a windshield smash or sprayed-painted F-you. First off, you might get spotted by a vehicle’s built-in cameras. Getting caught beating up one of these cars carries more risk than normal. For example, the FBI has investigated attacks on Teslas as “domestic terrorism.” You could also draw the ire of extremists out there simping for Elon.
