feature: protest protocol, “the do’s and the dont’s”

Comrades: Welcome to the beginning of what we hope is the end of the lack of productive participation in the black community. The time is now, and we’re all fed up with the recent indictment decision in Ferguson Missouri, Ohio and most recently NYC. Moreover, we are all collectively exhausted with the continuous disrespect and disposable way Black life is within this country and around the world. In order to invoke this cultural change, and forcefully shift the oppression of people of African descent in America. There must be a plan and this cannot be something that happens sporadically without order. Our goal is civil disobedience and civil unrest. No revolution has ever begun without protest so let’s begin!

By Queen, AFROPUNK Contributor

Is violence going to happen? Yes, all revolutions in history eventually lead to violence, but a good place to start is with is civil disobedience. Protests can be used to shut down the common functionality of any city, state or town( i.e block traffic, shutting down shopping centers, boycotting businesses). It is initially a way to show that we have power and also shows that we have unity as THE people. There’s power in numbers and this is a great strategy and a great way to begin. Mainly because knowing that we can work together is detrimental to the establishment before any violence begins. We are beginning with being obedient to these establishments peacefully, where that will lead however…..is up to us.

BE PREPARED:
Make sure to have a phone/camera or any device that captures video and sound.
Make sure family and friends are informed of your whereabouts before heading out.
Do not stray from the group you arrived with.
Do not provoke the police/aggressors, stay focused on the movement.
Make sure to bring the necessities ex; food, water, health supplies.
If possible, find local safe spots in case things spiral out of control, your safety is top priority.
Do Not travel alone, at least 4 or more.
Establish a safe place to meet before, and establish your goal of the protest before hand (ex. shut down bridge)
Stay as a group and possibly carpool to and from the site so if you get stopped for any reason, there will be witnesses.
Park where the police can’t identify your vehicle, but somewhere safe.
Try to avoid addressing each other by name (the police don’t), some of you might be targeted.
If you feel it’s necessary for your group, establish a bail fund or at least a plan incase there are any arrests. Many organizations use crowd funding
Dress accordingly, wear comfortable shoes, and clothing
For safety, keep a soaked bandanna, water, baby wipes & towels for tear gas, milk is also good to defuse tear gas burns to the eyes

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!! The laws vary state to state and city to city so DO YOUR RESEARCH. We don’t want anyone following us into the dark without them FULLY knowing what they’re getting involved in.
Have important phone numbers written down, and carried in a safe place. In the event that your phone dies, lost or is confiscated you still have a resource of contacts in case of arrest.

If you are afraid of getting arrested (which is fine, not everyone wants to break the law, everyone plays different roles) protest within the public may not be for you. The point of civil disobedience is to inconvenience the public and force them to take notice of what oppressed communities feel. Make your problem become their problem. All revolutions begin this way. No, it’s not violent but it causes a disturbance. Rosa Parks “Peacefully” caused a disturbance by simply staying seated on a bus and was arrested, which lead to a bus boycott that lasted a year and forced segregation laws on public transportation to change. Boycotting is another form of protest which also shows the collective influence and power of marginalized groups. Money literally talks, so participate in as many boycotts as you can. It shows that we have the willpower to not shop and as a collective can effect commerce in this country whenever we feel it’s necessary.

DO’s and DONT’s during protest:

DO’s
If something happens and you need to run, run into a nearby store or establishment to avoid getting trampled by crowd
Best places and time for protest is during the day, and in places that will largely effect the public, i.e city hall, popular streest or highways etc.
Organize daily by social media, leaflets, emails etc. spreading the word ’bout time & place..
In case of a news interview, DON’T make a fool of yourself, get straight to the point, what is the goal of this particular protest?
Do attach signs to card boards
Do determine an appropriate message for your protest sign. Messages too long may not be legible at a distance. Acronyms tend to be an effective way of promoting messages
Do wear/bring goggles if possible as police tends to use tear gas ​
Do bring a camera or recording device to keep record of your protest. When you are lawfully present in any public space you have the right to photograph anything that is in plain view. That includes pictures of the police. Police officers may not confiscate or demand to view your digital photography. HOWEVER, they may order citizens to cease activities
Do discuss how you will handle disruptive behavior before the protest, have a clear plan
Do designate crowd leaders to be responsible for keeping protesters in line and together, police like to break protest lines by separating groups, and intern breaking the goal of the protest
Do appear approachable so you can be asked questions by the the public. You want to share information not scare them away
Do remain aware of your surroundings and always have an exit strategy ​
Do ask the police “why” if they give you an order
Do know that the police ​may tell you that you can’t use megaphone, or make any noise either because it is “anti-social”, a “breach of the peace”, or because it is “threatening, insulting or abuse of disorderly conduct” etc. but the use of a megaphone as an adjunct of lawful is in itself lawful
Do remain silent if the police try to talk to you
​
DONT’s
​Do not separate, stay w/ the crowd,
Don’t have signs with wooden sticks, metal or PVC piping
Don’t force brochures upon anyone, only offer it
Don’t assemble around Parliaments
Don’t damage property
Don’t bring anything the police can interpret as a weapon (this would include Swiss Army knife, multi-tool etc)
Don’t bring anything illegal (not only will it get you grouped into the peripheral thug category, but no one will take you seriously as a protester) Alcohol as well this not a barbecue.
Don’t EVER bring your child to a protest, you may come in peace but it doesn’t meant you counterpart has
Don’t physically resist officers or threaten to file a complaint, they don’t need to know you are filing a complaint, just do so when you aren’t with the arresting officer
But also, when a protest gets violent, it does ​NOT necessarily mean it has gone wrong. The media always puts a negative spin on rallies. They do so one way or another.
Some of the categories of speech are considered outside of the first amendment protection. These are obscenity, defamatory language, fighting words or speech that incites imminent lawless action. Just be aware. For speech outside of these categories, generally the government can place “time, place and manner ” restrictions. This kind of manner depends on the subject of speech and the way it is expressed.

TAKE THIS BLUEPRINT TO WORK W/ AND HELP ORGANIZE IN AND AROUND YOUR OWN CITIES. REMEMBER…THESE ARE IDEAS BUT WE HAVE ALL AGREED TO THIS “CODE”. AS WE PROGRESS WE WILL MAKE ADJUSTMENTS AND EDIT THIS BUT ANYONE THAT WANTS TO BE INVOLVED MUST KNOW THAT THEY ARE A PART OF A COLLECTIVE AND IF THEY DO NOT WANT TO FOLLOW OUR CODE OF ETHICS THEN THEY CAN’T BE INVOLVED. ONLY BECAUSE IT WILL JEOPARDIZED WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO AS A WHOLE. WE APPRECIATE EVERYONE WHO IS WILLING TO HELP.

IT IS WITH SINCERE LOVE AND RESPECT I SEND THIS TO YOU ALL IN HOPES THAT WE INFLICT THE CHANGE THAT IS SO DESPERATELY NEEDED. GO FORWARD AND BE ENCOURAGED. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS/CONCERNS/IDEAS JUST CONTACT US BY PHONE, TWEETS, OR EMAILS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND LET’S PUT THE POWER BACK IN THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE

By Queen -Originally written for The Syndicate
Twiitter @TheQueenSpeaks_
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