Protest Tips

How to avoid arrest during a Protest

These are general guidelines, and may not guarantee that the protester will be free from arrest. If the Police Department are planning to ‘kettle’ several hundred, followed by an arrest frenzy, that would be a good example of an exception. Combative behavior is usually, from the perspective of the Police Department, interpreted as threatening. Yes, I know this sounds too simple minded, but the Police Department have a narrow window between combative and compliant. The further to the compliant side you can remain, the greater your odds of protesting without arrest.

We must not let the police hold us down any longer. We must no longer conform to unjust laws. We must exercise our constitutional rights. They can not jail all of us. We are the 99%

Protest Behavior Usually Leading to Arrest:

• The protester, when asked to keep walking, fails to turn face and body in direction of the officer’s request. The second time the officer attempts to make this request, the protester is clearly seen standing his/her ground. The officer is then seen going into an arrest frenzy.
• The protester is yelling within 2-3 feet of the officer’s ear, and at the officer. This close proximity yelling would be threatening to any person, officer or protester.
• The officer physically pushes the protester with the force that should knock you down, and the protester stands their ground. Yes this is assault, but the officer’s actions will never be given the credit they deserve in court. The protester who is indignant enough to stand their ground and not continue walking in the direction of being shoved, they will be arrested.
• The photographer, when asked to keep walking or is pushed away from a SPECIFIC spot STANDS THEIR GROUND!
• There has been at least one arrest made, as if in retaliation for one person whispering into the ear of an adjacent protester. The Police Department are touchy.

Non Threatening Body Language – No arrest is made.

• The protester, when asked to keep walking, exhibits compliance by physically turning head & body in direction of officer’s request.
• The photographer, when asked to keep walking, or pushed away from a SPECIFIC spot, swiftly creates a large distance between self and that officer.
• SIT if you are practicing civil disobedience and don’t argue.
• Keep your hands in plain sight at all times and, if confronted, make no sudden moves other than those the officer has requested and will expect. Remember, the officer may not be able to tell you are not a physical threat to him in a chaotic situation.

More basic things to avoid when carrying out a protest:

DON’T BE VIOLENT OR OVERLY AGGRESSIVE. Unless the riot police roll in, in which I recommend getting the hell out of there, any hint of violence done by protesters is an excuse for the police to shut the protest down and arrest everyone. This includes something as inoffensive as shoving someone or throwing a cigarette at someone’s shoes. Be peaceful, be firm, and don’t try and start a fight. If you provoke a cop enough to start a fight, it doesn’t matter if he hits you first; you’re still going to jail for assaulting an officer.

Don’t have any drugs on your person or in your body. Obviously caffeine and cigarettes are not that big of a deal, but if you are arrested drugs will be a major impediment to being released or not being charged. This falls under the “don’t make this easy for the cops” category; if you’re drunk or high or carrying drugs, you can be labeled disorderly or under the influence or many other things to excuse hauling your ass off to jail. Go sober; you may need your wits with you.

Don’t break any laws which the protest hasn’t planned on breaking. This includes very insignificant things like jaywalking, crossing against a light, littering, trespassing, or anything at all that could be interpreted as breaking a law. Some protests are based on breaking the law in some manner, this is called Civil Disobedience. This type of protest can be very effective, but you should limit the number of laws you are breaking before hand. This will reduce the sentence you and the other protesters receive if arrested, and prevent the appearance of anarchy.

Remember, once someone in a protest breaks the law, the police will try and end the protest there and then.

Humble advice: smile at cops, film them, but avoid talking to them — it is best to stay as anonymous as possible. Many modern police departments compile dossiers of information on people they identify, using practices created to monitor and control young minority gang members, but likely to be used against protesters as well.

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Things To Think About Before An Interview

Find a personal narrative that relates to the Occupy Movement. Why are you here? (Home Foreclosure, unemployment, eviction, debt, tuition, student loans, all of the about, etc)

How do you connect your personal narrative to the Occupy movement?  We are many. (How are you affected by corporatized policies: environmental, economic, social, gender, sexual, racial)

How is the Occupy movement affecting your life? (political consciousness, empowerment, hope, killing apathy, sense of unity across the movement)

Avoid association with any political party or candidate.

When asked what are your “demands” respond that we are working towards… (giving a voice to the 99%, overturning Citizens United, reinstating Glass-Steagall, end fractional reserve banking, environmental justice, socioeconomic equality…  Talk only about what you know about!)

Remain positive and on focus

When On Camera:

Please don’t fidget
Use open body language
Talk to the reporter, not the camera
Enunciate
Smile