Protest Advisory Notice from Seattle DSA

This protest season is swinging into full gear. Across the country, we have seen the mostly peaceful protests become risky due to escalation by police, ICE, or other fascists. Because of this, even if you have every intention of not being arrested and not doing anything that could possibly lead to arrest, it is better to be prepared just in case.

First and foremost, ask yourself what you are comfortable with and not comfortable with before deciding on attending an event. We all have different needs and responsibilities, and we need to asses them every time we decide to step out.

While many public protests have been safe, if in the event it gets hairy give yourself some peace of mind by formulating an Emergency Action Plan to help mitigate unexpected scenarios when they occur. A basic plan would entail at minimum

1. Have someone you trust handle your personal arrangements who is not attending the event.
2. This person will know your specific needs you would have attended to if something should occur (e.g., pets, dependents, medications).
3. Have an agreed upon check-in time you would need to be home safely by before your contact begins searching for you.
4. Sharpie on your person the local National Lawyers Guild jail support hotline (206-OK-TRY-ME) and your contact's number, ideally in two different locations.
5. It might be wise to make sure your contact knows there may be a risk of arrest and to be prepared to bail you out if needed.

When attending protests, stick to some basic techniques to keep you and others safe:

• Have a buddy or buddies you will stick with the entire duration of the event. Ideal group sizes are 2-5 and would consist of people with similar risk appetites and overall intentions for the event. We call these affinity groups (AGs).
• Discuss your action plans amongst each other, and make sure you all are on the same page of what your limits are. Decide on a collective decision-making procedure before entering the event; one good heuristic is if one person is uncomfortable with a course of action, the group does not take it.
• Plan with your AG a rally point if you become separated, ideally some distance from the event itself. Additionally plan on a primary and secondary egress route if you need to disperse.
• Keep your head on a swivel. Everyone should be continuously assessing their situation and communicating concerns as they crop up. Do not fall prey to fixating on any one thing for long; regularly do a 360 to re-orientate yourself in your environment.
• Never go anywhere alone, never leave leave a buddy alone.

As always, we keep us safe.