Protest safety tips
As we resist yet another Trump Administration, an important part of that resistance will be speaking out in public.
For a sustainable resistance and effective nonviolent protest, it’s important to practice some safety guidelines. Here are our safety tips:
Go with people you know and trust.
Turn off face/fingerprint unlock (or bring a burner phone instead of your regular phone)—this goes for everyone in your party. Biometric unlocks can legally be compelled by police without a warrant, whereas your passcode is covered by your right to remain silent.
Come together, stick together, leave together.
Leave early if things get too spicy for folks in your party.
Such events should generally have a defined start and end in both space and time. If you hear a call for “now let's march to ______” that wasn’t in the plan, ignore it (or consider leaving).
Write the arrestee phone number for the local NLG (National Lawyers Guild) chapter on your forearm in Sharpie juuuust in case. For protests in San Francisco, our local chapter’s arrestee hotline is 415-285-1011. For protests in Sacramento (our state capital), the Sacramento chapter’s arrestee hotline is 916-500-4NLG (4654).
Think twice before taking photos or video, for the sake of people’s privacy.
Indivisible National has a guide on staying safe while protesting the current administration, and Black Lives Matter has additional advice:
Ask before you livestream the event attendees on your personal social media pages. Videos are often being used to vilify protestors by policing agencies. Only livestream to document the police present at the event. If you livestream, consider doing so from a group account, not your personal account.
Taking photos of the event? Ask before you post on social media, and make sure to blur identifying features of attendees before posting.
Protect and support high-risk protestors. Protect BIPOC and high-risk groups by staying aware of police and/or ICE.
Any protest runs the risk of attracting bad actors, police action, and potential violence. We expect our members to understand nonviolent protest, know their rights, and act in a way that is safe and respectful to others. All of this goes double when you don’t know who’s running the event, because then you don’t know how they’re going to run it. It’s important to do your due diligence about any event you’re considering attending.