https://docs.google.com/document/d/1f_PKCzQ9vaRDPerBPIn2R2XB_7OM62e9b3MH3ZBImzA/edit?usp=sharing
HOW TO START A PROTEST
Step 1. Get a couple friends together. A small group is fine. If you belong to a Democratic Club, church group, or community group, any group, you may have a ready base of steady protesters. Things are serious, and more people feel that. You can provide them community for resistance and hope. Ask each to bring a friend.
Step 2. Nonviolence and safety*. Indivisible is a good source for these guidelines, rules, and techniques. They’re easily available online, also. Make sure you know the rules for protesting nonviolently and safely. Take the Safety Lead trainings from Indivisible. The trainings are not long, and they’re necessary, even if you’re hosting a small protest.
When your crowd gets to about 25, get a Safety Lead to help keep things going smoothly.
You should wear a name tag that identifies you as the Host. Your Safety Leads must also be identified. Indivisible suggests that you wear yellow, if you’re part of the organizing team.
*https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jFdFvzyJOvSl4nQzU30VXB9qWGOSTYujCp29xFSUfwI/edit?usp=sharing
Step 3. Select a protest location.
Public sidewalks are permitted locations for protests. Where will you be most visible? Protesting in a park may require a permit. Some towns prohibit protests in front of places of worship. A moving protest, like a parade or walk, will usually require a permit. Check with your town.
Select a day and time. Who’s your target audience? Commuters? Shoppers? When will you be most visible?
Step 4. Publish your protest on mobilize.us.
It may require you to get creative with some forms, but it will be worth it for the people you’ll get. Email me and I’ll promote your protest. If you see a protest, stop, find the organizer, and talk to them.
People are looking for you.
When they find you, have calling cards with your dedicated* email to give them. Tell them there will be regular protests, and to bring friends.
*Using your personal email is not recommended.
Step 5. Keep in touch with your group via emails that announce future protests and report on the previous ones. Stress that the protest is weekly and ongoing. Have a notification plan to cancel for weather. I recommend doing that the night before.
Watch Indivisible’s weekly Monday meeting on YouTube. They answer questions from organizers and always have pertinent information and ideas good to know and share with your group.
Step 6: Give complete and accurate information about the site and general rules. Some people are a bit intimidated to protest. Giving them complete information is reassuring.
Info you should provide:
- Parking
- Accessibility info, curb ramps, wheelchairs and chairs
- Nearby food and drink, bathrooms?
- Children welcome?
- Dogs welcome?
- People can bring their music and instruments?
- Think about whatever else will cast a wider net.
Step 7. Do special-issue protests and positive protests, to change it up. Keep it simple. Waves of fresh horrors supply plenty issues. Positive protests focus on policies and outcomes we want, like peace, affordable healthcare, etc. Find others who’d like to cruise in your draft— tables for organizations, like the League of Women Voters and town Democratic Clubs, community organizations, etc. Accept local food pantry donations. Invite people who want petitions signed. Start a petition on a local matter. The more, the merrier.
Always introduce yourself with your card to every protester who comes. The resistance community is a miracle of group effort and cooperation. Make a lot of friends.
Summary:
Use all of your life experience, all of your accumulated rage, all of your Walter Mitty backbone. We need a protest in every town this summer. You’re the only ones who can make that happen. If I had had to interview for this job, I would never have gotten it. Many of you are being paid by someone to work for them. That means you must have something. So, take that, and turn it into something for this resistance movement. And, you’ll be your own boss.
You’ll amaze yourself with what you can do. Don’t worry about success and failure, just forge forward. Creativity builds on doing, and there are others out there who will be happy to help you. This is a do-it-together, do-it-all, all-at-once situation.
You don’t have to do this by yourself. Ask friends to help.
If someone doesn’t want to protest, but wants to help out, maybe they could babysit for someone who’d like to go to protests, panel discussions, and presentations, but needs a sitter. Non-protesters can offer protesters a ride to a protest, or organize carpools to protests, especially if parking is difficult. And, it’s especially important to do this for No Kings, as there will be many hundreds coming, and parking gets tough at that scale.
Make signs. I take a big bag of signs to share when I host. I’ve never lost one. Some people won’t come if they don’t have a sign, so if you have one for them, they’ll be happy. Some people don’t want to carry a sign., and add to the crowd. Everyone plays a part.
Work to your strengths! No one would ask Olive Oyl to throw around anvils. No one would ask Bluto to sing, I Like a Clean-Shaven Man!
Whatever you can do, please just get up and do it, because we need you!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1f_PKCzQ9vaRDPerBPIn2R2XB_7OM62e9b3MH3ZBImzA/edit?usp=sharing