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Table of Contents
Safety First!
Safety First!
These are great in normal times, but please be careful during the age of Covid! The following are guides and a checklist for things to consider while organizing your protest(s).
Activist Handbook: How to Organize A Protest A step-by-step guide for activists.
NRDC: How to Protest Safely "Taking to the streets is a way to both lift our spirits and to effect real change. But before you head out, read these tips on how to stay vigilant, protest respectfully, and keep your community’s safety in mind."
Want to Organize a Protest? Here Are 9 Things You Need to Know
Types of Protest
Types of Protest
There are a wide variety of ways to protest things. This section gives a brief overview of what each type entails, including their benefits and drawbacks, as well as ways to increase effectiveness and reduce personal/group risk when engaging in these types of activism.
Boycotts
Boycotts
Benefits
Benefits
Difficult to monitor or police
Compounded by number of participants - can be national or international
Drawbacks
Drawbacks
Less visibility can create illusion that "no one is doing anything" until data comes out at a later time.
Die-Ins
Die-Ins
"A die-in, sometimes known as a lie-in, is a form of protest in which participants simulate being dead.[1] Die-ins are actions that have been used by a variety of protest groups on topics such as animal rights,[2] anti-war, against traffic violence,[3] human rights,[4] AIDS,[5] gun control,[6] racism,[7] abortion, and environmental issues.[8] Often, protestors occupy an area for a short time instead of being forced to leave by the police.
In the simplest form of a die-in, protesters simply lie down on the ground and pretend to be dead, sometimes covering themselves with signs or banners.[8] The point of a die-in is to disrupt the flow of people on a street or sidewalk to grab the attention of passers-by.[9]
In more complex forms, fake blood or blood-stained bandages are sometimes used, as well as simulated death throes and writhing from the protesters in an attempt to make the deaths appear more realistic. In other cases, protesters have surrounded the "bodies" in chalk outlines reminiscent of the troped outlines around murder victims. This has been done as an attempt to symbolize that the organization being protested against has "murdered" people.[5] Sometimes, part of the protesting group makes speeches about what is being protested while the rest of the group lies on the ground.[9] " - Wikipedia: Die-in
Die-In Examples
Die-In Examples
Extinction Rebellion, veterans, cyclist and many other groups have used this method to protest everything from lack of bike lanes or medical funding to police brutality and wars.
An extinction protest was held in a museum, surrounded by dinosaur skeletons. Cyclists have laid down with their bikes outside city halls protesting lack or protective measures for non-car transit.
Benefits
Benefits
Dramatic
Disruptive if used to block a major plaza or similarly visible and high-use area
Drawbacks
Drawbacks
Arrest risk
Heavy surveillance
Potential violence against protestors
Not safe during pandemics or epidemics
Marches & Rallies
Marches & Rallies
Benefits
Benefits
High Visibility
Good opportunity for networking with other activists, learning, and finding inspiration for future activism
Drawbacks
Drawbacks
Arrest risk
Heavy surveillance
Potential violence against protestors
Not safe during pandemics or epidemics
Mutual Aid
Mutual Aid
"Many types of activism focus on raising awareness, but mutual aid is one of the most direct forms of action. It begins with people deciding to work together and pool their support and resources outside of traditional systems. Mutual aid is a direct response to inequities and systemic failures. Community gardens, food banks, free healthcare clinics, tenant unions, and community relief networks are just a few examples of mutual aid. Networks tend to be very localized and community-led, but most mutual aid activists believe in expanding their reach whenever they can and emphasizing solidarity across geography and identity." - Human Rights Careers: Types of Activism
Benefits
Benefits
Direct benefits for neighbors, friends, and family, such as food, shelter, warmth, and supplies for education, sanitation, etc.
Stronger and more resilient communities
One of the most direct forms of activism
Drawbacks
Drawbacks
Personal costs - time, money, energy, fuel, food, other resources
Sit Ins & Blockades
Sit Ins & Blockades
Benefits
Benefits
Prevent certain activities such as factory or government work, or fossil fuel extraction from being done.
Drawbacks
Drawbacks
Arrest Risk
Heavy surveillance
Potential violence against protestors
Strikes
Strikes
Benefits
Benefits
Workers regain power of negotiation by withholding productivity.
Drawbacks
Drawbacks
Workers may get fired or experience retaliation including physical violence.
Vigils
Vigils
Benefits
Benefits
Visibility
Sense of Community
Drawbacks
Drawbacks
Possible violence or abuse towards participants
Walkouts
Walkouts
This is the peaceful act of walking out of a business, school or other organization as a protest of disapproval. Workers, teachers, and students can all participate. These events are generally planned in advance, but they can also be done on the spur of the moment when necessary, and lead into a strike or similar type of protest.
Benefits
Benefits
Peacefully disruptive
Difficult to mitigate
Drawbacks
Drawbacks
Possible violence or abuse towards participants
Students or their guardians may face legal repercussions depending on local school attendance laws
Guides & Resources
Guides & Resources
Symbolism & Activism
Symbolism & Activism
Queer X Design: 50 Years of Signs, Symbols, Banners, Logos, and Graphic Art of LGBTQ "The first-ever illustrated history of the iconic designs, symbols, and graphic art representing more than 5 decades of LGBTQ pride and activism."
Maps & Trackers
Maps & Trackers
Some of these focus on marches and protest that you can join or support, while others focus on local laws about protesting, including places where politicians are trying to protect or take away the legal right of the people to peacefully protest.
International
International
North America
North America
USA
USA
US Protest Law Tracker "The US Protest Law Tracker follows state and federal legislation introduced since January 2017 that restricts the right to peaceful assembly. For more information, visit our Analysis of US Anti-Protest Bills page."
Organizations
Organizations
International
International
Extinction Rebellion "is a decentralised, international and politically non-partisan movement using non-violent direct action and civil disobedience to persuade governments to act justly on the Climate and Ecological Emergency."
North America
North America
USA
USA
50501"is a grassroots movement, and all local events are organized by independent volunteers. Movement members should do their own due diligence before participating in any action." Events
General Strike US 🛑👷 "We’ve voted, we’ve protested, and still, they ignore us. Our government refuses to meet our basic needs while the billionaire class hoards wealth and power. The General Strike is a grassroots network of regular people who know our greatest power is our labor and our right to refuse it. We aim to unite every person and organization fighting for racial, economic, and environmental justice so that together, we can see real change in our lifetimes."
Hands Off "Take action with Hands Off Check out these ways to get involved!"
Indivisible "Our democracy is under threat. But we will not yield to fascism. We will stand together and we'll fight back in defense of our rights, our communities, and our values. Join us."
Mayday Movement USA "We the People are building the Mayday Movement! We are a true grassroots collaborative started by concerned citizens who connected over Reddit, and later joined together with other socially active organizations. Our momentum grew quickly as the Trump administration demonstrated a complete disregard for the constitutional system that holds out the hope of “liberty and justice for all.” This movement is not a knee-jerk reaction to the new administration. This is a deliberate and careful plan of action in response to a Constitutional crisis.
Our strategy is to establish a 24/7, legal, non-violent demonstration on the National Mall, calling on Congress to take the only logical step in this crisis: impeach, convict and remove Donald Trump."Organize DC "FULL List of DC Protests to STOP the Coup."
Oceana
Oceana
Australia
Australia
Lock the Gate "We’re a grassroots movement fighting destructive coal and gas right across Australia. And growing the momentum for sustainable regional communities."
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