Compiled by Susan "George" Schorn, Austin, Texas.
Prepare in advance:
- Review the location, weather, hazards (traffic, stairs, curbs) and amenities (shade, water, seating, restrooms).
- Pack light, but bring your essentials: ID, phone numbers, medications, glasses, hat/sunscreen, snacks/water, contact information (meetup address, phone numbers).
- Prepare your message: Consider “hands-free” signs or other convenient options, like sashes, sign on a ribbon to go behind your neck, folded signs (for easier carrying to/from event).
- Find a buddy or group to go with you, or plan to meet them.
At the protest:
- Stay aware of weather, crowd movement, and the general mood.
- Rest/drink water/find shade before you think you need to!
- Notice when you are tensing up, and practice breathing/grounding.
- Model your values, de-escalate judiciously, and use distance to create safety.
- Stick together with those you know.
When you get home:
- Talk about how it went!
- Think about any changes you want to make to your approach, or skills you want to practice.
- Tell friends about your experience, and encourage them to join you next time.
Emotional grounding skills to practice
Box Breathing: Breathe in for 4 counts, hold steady for 4, breathe out for 4, hold for 4.
Self-encouragement (aloud or silent): "I can do this,” short prayer, etc.
Focus on your senses: Feel the ground under your feet, press your palms together, etc.
Touching an object with spiritual or other significance (rosary, etc.)
Find what works for you, and practice daily in low-stakes environments.
De-escalation skills to practice
Distract: “Excuse me, do you know what time it is?” Act absurd, sing or dance, etc.
Delay/divide/distance: Separate parties in conflict; block sightlines with scarves/signs.
Dialogue: Control your own voice, reflect back what they say, offer to pray with them.
Document: Film or photograph (the law recognizes this right, if you don’t interfere).
Delegate: “Can you film this on your phone?” “Your buddy seems upset, can you help him?”
Direct: “Step back.” “Take your hand off her arm.” Use firm voice/body language.
Diversity: Use your identity and experience creatively (gender, size, age, authority, etc.).
Walk through scenarios with your friends and try different approaches. The more you practice, the easier it will be in a real-life situation.
Allies and Diversity of Tactics
Some people may have more assertive tactics than you—especially those who are at more risk because of their identity.
- Don’t peace police: Don’t insist others abide by whatever your definition of “non-violence” or “appropriate” protest is. They choose their tactics, you choose yours.
- Don’t tone police: Don’t tell others, especially those whose identity puts them at greater risk, what they should or shouldn’t say, or how to express their sense of injustice. Let people be angry, let them feel what they feel.
Instead,
- Model the behavior you want to see; don’t lecture or argue.
- Discuss goals and tactics, and learn how other people are approaching the same problems.
- Use distance to create safety. If activity near you is making you feel unsafe, relocate or leave.
Remember,
- A primary goal of nonviolent protest is to make structural violence visible.
- Sometimes, people demand “de-escalation” because seeing structural violence makes them uncomfortable, and they want to make it invisible again. That moves us backwards.
- Property damage is not violence. Don’t conflate humans with property, and don’t accept media or government accounts of protest activity that do this! When we allow the powerful to equate property with people, we create a society in which people can be considered property.
Additional Resources
These tips are compiled from the Protest Safety and Efficacy workshops I have taught since 2016, using a violence reduction method known as empowerment self-defense, or ESD. ESD is a research-based, queer-and-POC-developed holistic approach to personal, interpersonal, and community safety. It uses somatic therapies to teach you to control your own fear and anger. It also addresses structural violence as a primary cause of harm to individuals. Thus it provides a clear lens for understanding political violence, and is a powerful tool for mobilizing resistance. For more information, visit the Empowerment Self-Defense Alliance at https://www.empowermentsd.org/. For periodic updates on my work, see https://susanschorn.com/.
