Protest Safety Tips

(adapted from Indivisible San Francisco and other sources)

An important part of our resistance to yet another Trump administration is speaking out in public. For a sustainable 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 and fingerprint unlock on your phone (or bring a burner phone instead of your regular phone). 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, and leave early if things get too spicy for folks in your party.

  • Do not engage with hostile individuals. If approached by someone aggressive or hostile, avoid engaging and keep a safe distance. The goal of these individuals is often to get you to escalate. Ignore them and notify an event organizer if necessary.

  • Think twice before taking photos or video so that you don’t put other people at unnecessary risk, especially if you plan to post images to social media. Concealing or obscuring people’s faces in your images is a form of community care. There are various online apps available to blur or pixelate faces. Use them. Ask before you livestream.

  • Events should generally have a defined start and end in both space and time. If you hear a call to march somewhere that wasn’t in the plan, ignore it or leave.

  • Protect and support high-risk protesters (BIPOC and high-risk groups) by staying aware of police and ICE.

  • Do not talk to law enforcement. This can be difficult in the moment for some of us who have an ingrained tendency to be deferential and/or helpful to authority figures, so here is a useful reminder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWEpW6KOZDs

Any protest runs the risk of attracting bad actors, police action, and potential violence. We expect people at our events to understand nonviolent protest, know their rights, and act in a way that is safe and respectful to others. Do your due diligence about any event you’re considering attending!