I want to share a resource called the "PEARLY" method created by street medics (i believe first by an Atlanta street medic crew and added onto by a Boston collective? will update if I can find the printed resource) for how to make sure that you and a protest buddy are prepared to meet each other's needs before you even arrive at a protest. These would be topics that you would discuss beforehand to make sure that you are compatible protest buddies for whatever the action is.
What physical needs does each person have?
Any medical devices? Medications? Mobility aids? Pain? Asthma?
What speed can we comfortably move at? Are we able to run/roll quickly if the crowd starts running? (Always defer to slowest member of group)
How do we feel about physical touch? Are we okay grabbing each others hands? Do we want to ask for consent each time?
How comfortable are we feeling about the action? What concerns do we have?
What's our baseline emotional state today? Are there triggers that might come up? Are we manic/ on our upswing, are we low energy, are we grieving?
What kind of self and community care might we need today?
Any special legal concerns? (Probation, prior charges, citizenship status, being under 18, etc)
Any outstanding obligations? (Childcare, work obligations, pets, etc)
Any special jail support needs?
What situations will you follow police instructions? What situations will you not? What factors would make you need to leave the protest?
Always defer to the needs of the least arrestable buddy!
What is our role in this action? What experience do we have with whatever role we're taking?
Any special skills? (medic training, multilingual, scouting/radio experience, etc)
Anything else! Do you have to be back home by a certain time? What does transportation look like? Are you on the same page about use of phones? Are there any specific equipment needs for the action? Literally anything not already covered!
At the end of the day, if you figure out you aren't compatible protest buddies for an action, that's okay too! Even if you're friends or work together in plenty of other situations, you might not be the best fit as buddies for a particular action.
Even if you've been to protests with this buddy before, it can still be worthwhile to check for consent before new actions.
I use some version of this checklist with every protest buddy before we go to an action, even if we've protested together dozens of times before, because it still really helps us get an idea of what our needs are on that particular day and focus together about what our plan is. Even on times that I've ended up buddying up with complete strangers, I've found it helpful to do a very quick abbreviated version of this list in order to make sure that any immediate needs are communicated.
if people have any protest safety question and they're within my scope/experience, feel free to send an ask and I will try my best to answer!
