WHAT TO DO AT A PROTEST.
Both tear gas and OC can straight up melt contacts onto the eyes if care cannot be reached in time, so if you head to a demo that has the potential of bringing LEO to the scene, do yourself and the medics around you a solid by doing the following...
*if you were corrective lenses, wear glasses instead of contacts... If you don't need either, bring a pair of shop goggles with you that can attach securely around your head
*bring water with you, and put at least some of it in a bottle w/a one directional nozzle that can be attached to your belt or your bag with a carabiner
*keep a fanny pack with any emergency meds you may need in it...bring along some aspirin and allergy meds, including an epi pen if you have access, and naloxone if you can get it
*tie some bandanas to your pack and stud the straps with large safety pins... In a pinch, clean bandanas can be used as tourniquets or slings for folks with arm, shoulder or clavicle damage. Safety pins can help you to make slings out of someone's own shirt on the fly.
*if you can get them, have a pair of gloves made for handling hot metals... We often see images of people tossing back tear gas canisters, but the consequence of that is twofold: tear gas canisters can cause 3rd degree burns if handled improperly, and said burns can trigger arrest when you go to seek higher care at area ERs. Either don't touch them at all, or get the proper gear to do whatever you feel is right in that moment.
Be safe.
Tips from my experience:
Detroit National Lawyers Guild: 313-925-2626
MEMORIZE THIS.
Ink can become blurry.
If you see legal observers at an event, these are the people you want to report misconduct to.
Don’t show up drunk. Don’t get high before. Be alert and vigilant. “When it’s sink or swim, you gotta think to win” - Ice Cube
If you have to bring your phone, put it in airplane mode and utilize a VOIP.
How do you think they traced how the virus was spreading from the protests in Lansing? Cellular data. LE can intercept this data with a stingray. Yes it’s illegal, they don’t care. Protect yourself.
Know that there is risk in this work, and we must protect ourselves and each other.
Respect the boundaries of your comrades.
Before taking drastic action, review how you would explain your actions to a judge or a jury of peers.
Communicate with your comrades. Do a RIVAL:
Roles
Identity
Vulnerabilities
Arrestability
Loose ends
In terms of arrest or worse, have a plan for how your family / next of kin / people who depend on you are to be notified. This is serious stuff, have your ducks in a row. Making hasty decisions that could affect more than yourself is reckless. Be smart.
To share - copy and paste with your selected audience!
No comments:
Post a Comment