Important reminders regarding your safety during and after protests! (All tips are not mine, these are all coming from numerous Black people and allies over on tiktok right now, I cannot remember usernames at the moment but I will edit this to add credit once I've found all the @s.)
1. DO NOT BRAG. Do not post videos of your involvement. Do not post videos where any other protestors have visibly recognizable traits, whether thats their hair, face, tattoos, piercings. DO NOT. Blurring the images doesnt help because there is software that can undo it.
2. MILK WILL NOT WASH PEPPER SPRAY OFF YOUR SKIN. The capsaicin in pepper spray is bound to oils. In normal situations where you are exposed to capsaicin, the level is low enough that fats like milk, butter or oil will rinse it out of your mouth. In pepper spray this level is MUCH HIGHER. And once again, the particles are BOUND TO OIL. Which means MORE OILS/FATS WILL NOT MAKE IT BUDGE. For your skin: use water and soap. The soap will bind to the oil particles in the pepper spray and take it away. (For an example, if you've ever gotten cooking oil on your hands, washing it with soap gets rid of it). One Black person I've seen speak about this recommended that you keep a small bottle of tearless shampoo on your person in case you get pepper spray in your eyes. Not milk.
3. METADATA IS A THING, AND POLICE CAN AND WILL USE IT TO TRACK YOU DOWN AFTER PROTESTS. Metadata keeps a log of your activity on technology. Most people have a fairly regular schedule when it comes to tech use. Here's some things to know:
3a. If you are leaving your phone at home, leave it with someone who KNOWS YOUR PATTERN so they can continue it in your absence! Massive disruptions in your normal metadata routine is a HUGE RED FLAG and police WILL use it against you.
3b. If you are keeping your phone with you, DON'T TURN IT OFF. Once again, massive gaps in your normal schedule is suspicious as fuck. Keep it with you but go through ALL your app settings BEFORE you go out to protest and make sure ALL LOCATION TRACKING SETTINGS ARE TURNED OFF. All of them.
3c. DO NOT USE FACEBOOK AT ALL. Do not use Facebook to organise, do not sign off as "attending" on Facebook organisation events. Cops WILL USE THIS to track you down.
4. GO IN PLAIN, UNMARKED CLOTHING. Bring a spare change of shirt and shoes with you. Do not wear anything with noticeable logos, phrases, slogans or graphics! This means you should NOT wear your favourite graphic tee to these protests because that can be used to find you as well.
5. WEAR A MASK, COVER YOUR EYES, COVER YOUR HAIR. This is to conceal your identity AND to protect you from tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullet attacks. BRING GLOVES. Heat resistant, if possible. ESPECIALLY if you plan on throwing tear gas canisters away from other protestors. Tear gas cans are HOT. Be safe. If your gloves are not heat resistant, KICK the canister away. Get a hardhat or helmet if you can. Police are shooting rubber bullets at people's HEADS. They are not concerned for your wellbeing. Protect yourselves in every way you can. Take a look at the riot gear that the Hong Kong protestors wore, and follow that example.
6. IF YOU ARE WHITE AT THESE PROTESTS, YOUR ONLY JOB IS TO PROTECT THE BLACK PEOPLE YOU ARE MARCHING WITH. Do not aggravate. Do not instigate. Do not incite violence. By all means, retaliate when you are attacked, but DO NOT go into these protests with the mindset that you'll get to fight some cops. You are there as support and protection for Black people. Do not make this about YOU.
7. RECORD AS MUCH AS YOU CAN, BUT KEEP YOUR PHONE LOCKED. Cops have a history of "confiscating" protestors phones and manually deleting videos and photos because the phone is unlocked. If you are able, get a burner phone to record your shit on. Once again, circling back to a previous point, DO NOT POST ANYTHING WITH PROTESTORS RECOGNISABLE DETAILS.
8. In case your phone dies, make sure you have important numbers written on your skin. The number for the ACLU is a good one to have. However do not put the number of your safety-buddy or loved ones on your body. We've seen what has happened before; Fox News zooming in on a phone number on a protestors arm resulting in that person getting insane amounts of threatening messages.
9. DO NOT GO IN ALONE. Especially if you are a woman, especially if you are a woman of colour, and ESPECIALLY if you are a Black woman. Go with a group, people who will notice immediately if you disappear. Protests like these are feeding grounds for kidnappers and traffickers, as they can easily abduct people during the chaos. Use the buddy system. Protect each other.
Stay safe. Stay together. Be careful.
Black lives matter, and until true change is made these protests will not stop.
If anyone else has more tips on staying safe at these protests PLEASE add on!
(I will reblog this in the next hour with usernames for the amazing people who have shared this info with me.)
germansingergirl
theartofmadeline
dailybridgerton
discoholicmusic
