!!VITAL SAFETY INFORMATION!!!
On the off chance anyone sees this before going to a protest: I've been seeing people say "sit down if you see someone not being peaceful so organizers can handle the situation."
do not listen to ANYONE that tells you to do this. EVER.
Intentionally or not, the person who told you that could get you or someone else killed.
NEVER sit on the ground in the presence of a police line. You are a sitting duck for the cops to aim less lethal munitions at you. They don't care if you are harmless. They will aim 40mm munitions designed to bounce and hit your legs directly at your head at point blank range because they think it's funny, and if you're not wearing a good helmet, you will die. I've seen it happen.
A sitting person is also an invisible obstacle for squad cars and cops on horseback. They will trample you on purpose, don't give them a way to do it on accident.
NEVER sit in the middle of a large standing crowd. You could be trampled in SECONDS. Visibility is extremely low when 1000+ people are packed into a small space. If any sort of action kicks off and people start moving frantically, they won't see you and you'll be trampled. I'm talking crushed bones, concussions, and worse. You also function as a weapon because people will trip over you and hurt themselves.
NEVER make a protester in a crowd more obvious to the police, especially if they are committing a crime, especially in a climate where people are being disappeared into government black sites, especially in a situation where that person is likely to be brown, black, undocumented, etc. This is life or death. This isn't about whether or not you agree with their action. Put your ego away.
NEVER trust unnamed and unaccountable organizers (IE every one of them you do not personally know) to handle "security". This is how movements are infiltrated and neutralized. You don't need cops in the movement to abolish cops.
We protect us. Respect a diversity of tactics. Be safe. Trust each other.
