How To Prepare For A Protest
July 11, 2016
11:10 pm CST
Disclaimer: I’m a 6th grade teacher in Atlanta who participated in the march and protests in Baton Rouge on January 10, 2016. While powerful in measure, the protest resulted in mental and physical injury to participants. I hope that this blurb will help eliminate these type of injuries so the world has no choice but to focus on the injustices being made by our law enforcement. Below are steps I believe are integral to movements, protests, and resistance based on my high-anxiety experiences as a public school teacher for Atlanta Public Schools. While I know these may not be THE steps to abide by, I do believe if executed properly, they have the potential to alleviate unnecessary happenings while protesting.
1. ACKNOWLEDGE that you are walking into a potentially dangerous situation. If you’re joining a protest, you’ve undoubtedly seen viral videos of protests over the last few years (thank you, smart phones). Acknowledge what you see from social media or the news may or may not happen. Acknowledge your experience could be better or worse. Ask yourself if you are genuinely prepared for that kind of experience. While you will never be fully prepared for what you see or feel, you have to ensure proper mental preparation in order to maintain enough clarity to make quick and important decisions. Lack of mental preparation can lead to impulsive choices with potentially fatal consequences.
Acknowledge not everyone will respond the way you do. If you make a decision, don’t get frustrated by others’ lack of follow-through. Everyone shows up with different levels of understanding and in many cases, different intentions. Though the focus of protesting is to stand together, unity doesn't always lead to unified action. In Baton Rouge, many protesters were upset that other protesters were complying with police requests to get out of the street. They wanted people to stand their ground. My belief is that actions inspire way more than words. Instead of arguing about whether or not to stand in the street, just do it, and those who are prepared to stand with you will. I encourage you to have grace and suspend judgement of other participants. Allow room for people to show up differently and realize that even though your individual actions are different, the message you will send collectively will be powerful.
2. TEAM UP: Find a group of people to go with. Do not protest alone. Stay with your people. Protests are filled with caring people who will look out for you, but it’s always best to have a partner on the front lines.
3. TALK to those who are going with you. This has to be one of the most important parts. It is not responsible to walk into any activity as a unit without having spoken to those who make up the larger body. Have a safety plan in place in the event that you’re separated, because it’s quite likely that you will. Talk to your group of friends/allies who will be going with you, and IF there is a larger rally before protesting (which there ALWAYS should be), make sure conversation is always happening there. This step helps to gel everyone together so that actions and expectations are aligned and/or compliment each other. There is no room for arguments between participants on the ground. This often has the capacity to make a unified group look divided and weak. Talk about all possible scenarios (police charging, shooting, gassing, other protesters becoming violent, getting arrested, going to jail, getting injured, getting lost, etc.) and come to an agreement on what you will do in response. Always be ready for the “what ifs.” Have a meet up location that is appropriately far from where the protest will be, but close enough that someone who is having a hard time moving or breathing could get to as easily as possible.
These might sound funny but are often some of the most important:
Talk about how you want to be talked to (i.e. what should happen if someone needs to get your attention? Shouting does not work for everyone, especially in high anxiety situations).
TALK about how you want to be touched or NOT (though some people might need a frequent hug sometimes, people want their space. I found it interesting that I got angry when my fiance put his hands on my hips and butt during the protests in Baton Rouge, even though that’s a harmless, loving gesture that would be welcomed in any other setting).
4. MEDICINE: If you have a medical condition that may require immediate medication, make sure to bring medication with you. Preferably enough to last you a few days (you never know where you might end up).
5. DEBRIEF: You must have a follow up conversation after engaging in an activity of this importance. Don’t ever assume people are fine. Silence can be harmful. Debriefing allows people to process thoughts about what they think they saw or did during the protest. Debriefing provides an opportunity for acknowledgment and appreciation. It also provides space for clarification or discussion of any changes that need to be made next time. Most importantly, debriefing provides a space to answer the "what now..." People need to feel validated in potential follow-up or follow-through measures.
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