Given all the protests and riots: please get the ACLU Mobile Justice app and/or Solomon’s Shield app for your smart phone!
(Not including direct links in my OP as Tumblr is currently hiding/eating posts with external links. I will be reblogging with the link in a moment, and if you see this post without one, I encourage you to add it.)
If you live in any of these states, please start by searching for and adding “ACLU Mobile Justice” app:
New York (stop and frisk)
This app lets you record videos of your police encounters - and most importantly, once you stop recording, it automatically sends a copy to your nearest ACLU. This is crucial in situations where you might rapily lose the ability to use your phone, such as in the middle of a protest, when tear gassed, etc.
Because it sends copies to your nearest ACLU, it is not yet available in every state.
So if you do not live in one of the above states (or even if you do)…
Please get the Solomon’s Shield App.
It is primarily intended for black smartphone users, to assist them through police interactions safely. Designed by two black men, it defines many legal terms and give suggestions for how best to survive a police encounter.
Most critically: it has options to quickly stream footage to your Facebook and alert up to 5 designated friends/contacts in case of an emergency.
Put in a mix of people who go with you, and people who are not at the protest (and can come look for you in jail, a hospital, etc., because they were not at the protest to be arrested or hurt).
Again, not posting direct links because Tumblr. Will reblog with those links. If you see this post without those links, please feel free to add them, as well as any further tips or suggestions for anyone going to a protest (or caught up in a riot).