A Beginner's Guide To Safely Participating in A Revolution

If you're living in the United States, chances are you're not completely unaware of the turmoil that's setting off like a firework into a powder keg right about now. Perhaps watching all this has destroyed an integral part of you that so greedily clung to a fallacy of security in your surroundings.

Good! Grab a poster and join the march in the streets because it is only going to get worse the longer we all stay silent. Well, you might ask, how do you go about getting into a protest? Hey, I'm not exactly in a position/condition to protest so what exactly am I supposed to do in terms of tangible action?

I am so glad you asked. Hey, I've done a protest before and there were some great tips I read, and some things I gathered after the fact to make a more successful round. As it turns out, there is a lot of preparation that (should) go into getting into this business. So let's start with what you should do before, during, and after a protest

Taking it to the streets?

Groovy. I'm assuming you've done your research and checked on your social media (Twitter seems to be the best place for gathering and organizing on the fly) for a protest near you, that isn't some trap the police are using to round up their detractors. You may or may not have created a sign for the event, and it's rolled up neatly and clutched in your gloved hands. So let's focus on what needs to be done in the hours before the protest.

1. Make a plan of action. First and foremost, try to get a friend to come with you, the more the better. It's never a good idea to go to these things alone, and it's necessary to have people who are focused on your well being while you all participate on the off chance things start escalating. Decide if you'll all be going in together or meeting there. This is important, as I would suggest taking either a city bus in or an Uber to a nearby location if at all possible. There is a possibility police might block off exits to highways and streets to not only stop people from going in but also keep protesters from getting out. If you feel comfortable, then yes drive your car and try to get a space in a parking garage on a higher floor.

2. Get some bottles of water, preferably the sport ones with the squeeze tops? At least three our four of those, because not only will you need to stay hydrated but in the case of tear gas or pepper spray being deployed you'll need those to flush your eyes out of the irritants. My protest had me walking three miles, shouting and chanting before we got word of a city-wide curfew and exiting seemed the appropriate next step. Trust, I was gulping down water like every few blocks. I had brought water bottles, but thankfully there were cars that would occasionally stop and offer water bottles from coolers packed up just for us to use. Having the support of a community is a wonderful thing when we're all under a common banner. It's not a bad idea to bring along some snacks like granola bars because trust me if you will get thirsty you'll definitely get hungry. The tear gas thing though is plenty relevant and leads me to my next point . . .

3. Gather the appropriate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)! Eye glasses/goggles are encouraged, good running shoes, gloves- can you manage to get heat resistant ones? Maybe a whistle to act as an alert system or just to blow shrilly in the face of cops you need to steer clear of. Do not forget your masks! We are still in a time of COVID-19 so I think most of us are familiar by now with wearing masks out in public. Medical masks, bandannas, they were basic safety measures during a pandemic- but now we have to consider possible measures to waylay protesters, of which you will be one if you've continued reading. Masks aren't just great for containing your cough, they're wonderful for hiding your face from police in the event they start making rounds for arrests! Brooklyn protesters reported the police force using video cameras to record people for later ID. So, if you're worried about legal repercussions along with health concerns, masks are a a need. Last I checked, Loews and probably Home Depot have stopped selling N-95 masks in my area (temporarily?) so it might be a good idea to buy one online and have it shipped to you if you have the available funds. If not, please look around for over sized bandannas or some sort of large square of cloth you can tie around your head for a thick covering.

4. You want to keep yourself comfortable but indistinguishable from the crowd. Your clothing is ultimately up to you- I've seen pictures of Batman, the Joker (why?) and all else at these protests. Myself? I preferred to be nondescript, so I wore a large black sweater (I know, in FLORIDA) and black jeans, black shoes, a hat that covered my forehead, and my mask. I will admit to puling a Winter Soldier and practically blacking out my eyes. I had my drawstring bag tucked underneath the sweater because I couldn't find a plain black bag and didn't want anyone to remember how the bag looked in case of anything. Oh! Speaking of the bag . . .

5. Bring along a bag or hip pack to keep essential items in. Use cash only if you need to get something during the protest. I'm sure by now you're probably scoffing at my paranoia with all that's on the list but I always say better safe than sorry. You don't want bank records showing where you were during the hours of the protest. Bring a couple singles as well for bus fare if things get dicey. Eyewash is definitely encouraged, a form of identification, Try and get small first-aid supplies like band-aids and Neosporin, and maybe some pain relievers.

6. When you're actually protesting, pace yourself. You're going to be out there for hours, and making your voice heard. Make sure to keep pace with the group you're in because it is not a comforting feeling to be the straggler at the edge of the herd. Connect with others in the crowd to verify if you can slow down or if you need to pick up the pace relative to their placement. In regards to my southern states like Florida or Georgia, please keep an eye on the radar. It does no good to get caught out in the rain, mud streaked and near drowning with the torrents of rain pouring into your mouth every time you try to speak.

7. Taking photos and videos is fine, really it is. History is written and verified by those who take meticulous records. I must beg of you, however, to not post videos with people's clear faces on your social media accounts. Some folks are just as paranoid if not more so than me, you know? It's a scary time and no one wants to get caught up in a cell with the system enforcers you were just shouting at earlier. If you manage to get pictures with everyone in it carefully covered to prevent identifying them, perfect. Spread the word a little. Please don't put people in danger just for clout.

8. Stay vigilant! Always be aware of your surroundings as you march and protest, because it only takes seconds for things to start going belly up, and by then you want to be three streets down. Watch not only the cops that might come to edge along the march, but the other protesters themselves. Yes, it's not out of the realm of possibility for cops to be the ones to make the first aggressive move (what a surprise). We've also seen and heard reports of a couple of people trying to take advantage of this movement by turning it into their Purge fantasy or some Anarchy roleplay; you see that kind of foolishness you assess whether you can safely dismantle it before it creates havoc or if you need to start helping people disperse. Remember your available exits, check which ones need to be rethought if police have already blocked that off. Tag your friends and keep yourselves safe!

9. After the protest, if you are like myself and try to steer clear from anything resembling regular fitness exercise, you might be feeling four different kinds of sore. So this is where, if you have a reliable bath you know you enjoy soaking in, you want to run one with some Epsom salt and maybe a well loved bath bomb as a treat. If you only have a shower, run that water warm to start and then gradually heat it up to help soothe tense muscles. If the shower is big enough, start doing some stretches in their like toe touches or arm stretches. Might I suggest buying some Tiger Balm from your local drugstore? The application and subsequent effect are . . . intense . . . but oh is that soothing numbness worth it. Continue to drink water even after arriving home. If you didn't bring along goggles and have been hit with tear gas, don't stop flushing your eyes and washing your hands. Try not to touch any sensitive membranes like eyes, nose, etc. even after you've washed your hands for what must be the 20th time.

10. Ignore the urge to immediately go onto social media to see what the coverage was of the event. Give yourself time to decompress and breathe, because your health is still the most important thing here. Unless, of course, social media is your genuine preferred mode of relaxation . . . ? I mean, it could happen. Unlikely, but still. Just keep away from the grim news for even a minute is all I'm suggesting to you. Even if your protest was successfully peaceful and a shining example, give yourself time to process the memories of the event you watched unfold, and try to steer clear of other's interpretations for a while.

Got Some Extra Cash?

If you're less comfortable being on the streets but comfortably off after paying rent, perhaps you'll consider giving to some relief funds and organizations? Sometimes protests get a little heavy, and your fellow fighters need some help. Like, bail.

It's relatively easy to find their websites, especially with so many sharing the information around on their various social accounts. Here are a couple to get you started!

A lot of these groups have pages either on the Action Network (shown above) or on Paypal. New York has this:

Of course I had to add something in for my home, Florida:

All these organizations are a quick Google search away for those really interested in helping back the movement, and offering help and aid to those who are more able to be on the front lines, as it were.

Want To Delve Into The History?

It's just as important (arguably more) to know what the Movement your fighting for is. In total, it's for black people who are unjustly treated by a system created to hurt them. In addition however, we want to completely abolish these same systems that serve a privileged few over the vast majority. Learning all the nuances and how deeply entrenched white supremacy is into our very bones is super important to learning how to combat it. It's not enough just to read up on a couple of quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. that fit with your "Live, Laugh, Love" aesthetic- you need to know how is ideology started and then how it grew to just before his death. Learn how it intersected, intertwined, and differed Malcolm X. Read the works of Toni Morrison, Angela Davis, and contemporary writers even today who have spent a long time learning the sordid history.

Myself, I can't begin to claim a decent understanding of all the issues . . . less than half really. I only started to realize how whitewashed history was just a couple of years out of college. It's amazing how rich our history is as African-Americans, and how hard the government sought to hide and disguise it to suit a narrower viewpoint. I'll tell you what, I can't even begin to describe how disgusted I was when finding out that there were black senators, governors, and millionaires- the first black senator was Hiram Revels, elected in 1875; 10 years after the Civil War ended!

Knowledge is power they say . . . and we must learn from the lessons of our past lest we are doomed to repeat them. Some folks actively work to hide the lessons of the past to cloud our future. That's why it is so important to dig deep through our history to find the hidden truths so that we may be better opponents to the hurtful status quo. We all have a duty to learn and grow, to create change in spaces where little innovation has come in decades. We all have biases that we can unlearn, that we can grow past to become the kind of people the future needs.

It's hard work, it is, living and fighting during such a tumultuous time. A time of reckoning, and of imminent change. Make no mistake, things will change . . . because we've set something truly great in motion. Our power is unmatched right about now, and we cannot give up the momentum. It is imperative that we continue on in however many ways we can; large and small, humble and grandiose. So, take these tips and learn from your own experiences. Tell me some of the lessons you've learned while treading your own path towards a revolution. I'm excited to learn, and to see how you can affect change in your home.