How to Run a Protest - Basics

How to Run a Protest - Basics

By Susan Basko, esq.

See Also:  Counter-Protesters and Counter-Demonstrators
See Also: High School Protest Rights

At least once a week, I get a query from someone wanting to run their first protest. There's a lot of protests happening these days.  That's a good thing, since it means people worldwide are exercising their rights to seek redress of grievances by calling public attention to the matter.  The basic list I am giving here is for the U.S. Please understand that what is legal in the U.S. may not be so elsewhere.  In fact, in some nations, protesters have been put to death.  This is also a reminder that if you are in the U.S., to cherish and value our rights to protest.  If you see a protest, rather than think of it as an annoyance, think of it as a refreshing and valuable exercise of our U.S. Constitution.   Even if you don't agree with the protesters, be proud of the freedom that gives them the right to protest.

HOW TO RUN A PROTEST:

1.  CHOOSE YOUR TOPIC. Your protest must have a topic.  The protest can be for something, against something, or generally educational or rallying.   Some topics can be wide: for example, against racism, against police brutality, for reproductive rights. Or a topic can be narrow: a protest because a particular police officer was not indicted for police brutality, a protest against a particular expansion of a pipeline, etc. 

2. CHOOSE YOUR FORMAT.  There are many kinds of formats for protests, including a march, a rally,  camping in tents, a sit-in or holding a space, attending a public meeting and possibly raising a ruckus, street theater such as performance, a flash mob of singing or dancing, projection of pictures or video, holding a group bike ride, candlelight vigil, etc.  Some protest formats are low commitment, such as a rally and march, and some are high commitment, such as camping, a sit-in, or holding a space.

The most common forms of protest are a rally and a march.  A rally takes place in one large public location, such as park or plaza.  A march moves as a line or parade along a sidewalk or street.

3. PICK A LOCATION.  PERMITS: THE GENERAL RULES.  In most locations in the U.S., the general rule is that you do not need a permit to protest, unless you are going to be blocking the street or interfering with pedestrian, car, or bike traffic.  

The other general rule is that it is legal to hold a protest in a PUBLIC space such as a government plaza or park, unless it is specifically designated as being for some other purpose such as art displays or music concerts.  The PUBLIC sidewalk is a legal place to hold a protest march, but you must leave enough space for others who also want to use the sidewalk.  Conversely, it is generally illegal to hold a protest on PRIVATE property. Some examples of private property are a shopping mall or a private plaza or private sidewalk. 

If you want to close down the street and want to do it legally, you need a permit. If that is your plan, you are best to get a local lawyer to assist you.  Many will do this for free.  (NOTE: International law states that if a protest is spontaneous in reaction to current events, and if there is a mass of people, then they should be allowed to fill the streets.  Police are supposed to facilitate the right of a large group to fill the streets in such a situation.)

For a BASIC protest, let's say you are going to meet in a public location and then go on a sidewalk march. Let's say you expect a group of anywhere from 20 to 200 people to attend.

Try to pick a location that relates to the topic of the protest or to the intended audience.  For example, if you want to show your support or disapproval of a certain act of government, you may want to stand with signs by the side of a busy road during rush hour and ask people to honk their car horns in agreement.  If you want to protest something the federal government is doing, show up at a federal plaza or building.  If you want to protest what a mayor is doing, protest at City Hall.  If you don't like what a certain company is doing, protest outside their headquarters or nearby location.  If no location is applicable or convenient, then pick any general public plaza or sidewalk.  

4. SET YOUR DATE AND TIME.  Most cities, when giving permits for a protest, allot time slots of 2 hours.  If this is your first protest, stick to the 2-hour window.  That keeps it compact and manageable.  As you get more experienced and have a group you can trust, you can move on to more elaborate plans.  Even if you are running your protest without a permit because you do not need one to hold a protest on the public way, it is still a good idea to limit your protest to 2 hours total, including gathering and clean-up afterwards.  More people will show up for a protest that has a specific time slot they can plan for around their jobs, classes, child care, transportation, etc.

Choose the date, day of the week, and time slot when your people can attend.  For a successful first protest, it is best to choose a time when students and workers can attend without problems, which is usually after school or work or on a weekend.  Check what is happening at the place you plan to hold the protest. For example, if you plan to hold your protest in a city plaza, but if at that same time there will be a band concert or a holiday event in the plaza, you are best off choosing a different time or place.    

5. NOISE: When setting your date and time, be sure you are not interfering with religious services that are held near your chosen location.  In many cities, it is illegal to make noise outside a place of religious worship during services.  It may also be illegal to hold a noisy protest near a hospital, school, or nursing home.  It is also illegal to interfere with a clinic or with patients or medical personnel coming and going.

6. FORMAT/ SCHEDULE.  You have chosen your topic, your format, your place, your date and 2-hour time slot.  Now, figure out how you will spend your 2 hours.  Usually this will be divided into gathering, holding the protest, and breaking up/ clean-up.  The typical events include people holding signs, speakers, chants, singing, music, dance, drumming.

One of the most effective protests I ever saw was a simple march down a sidewalk in a very busy area in a major city, where each of the marchers held a yellow helium-filled balloon on a string.  They had a drummer.  They had a few signs to explain what they were protesting.  They had information people to talk with the public.  They also had printed flyers they would hand to people who showed an interest.  

7. GATHER YOUR GROUP.  Publicity. Commitment.  Dividing Responsibility.
AND THEN ..  HOLD YOUR PROTEST.

 8. CLEAN UP.  Be sure to allot time to CLEAN UP afterwards.  Leave the space cleaner than you found it.  Pick up and remove all signs, flyers, water bottles, and all other items.  Do not leave any mess.  Bring some big trash bags with you, make sure everything gets into them.  And then find a proper place to dispose of the trash bags.  It may seem like you are leaving an altar or reminder of your protest by leaving your signs displayed in a park or street, but when the wind comes, you have left a big mess.  Just clean it all up and be proud of making no mess.

9. WILL YOU BE ARRESTED?  The main thing that gets protesters arrested is blocking the streets.  It is as simple, and as complicated, as that.  See other posts here for more info.   In large cities, there are many protests each day, and most of them are held with no trouble at all.  

Quick Protest Planning: 10 Easy Steps

Quick Protest Planning: 10 Easy Steps

by Sue Basko

See also:  Basic Protest Planning - easy how-to
See also: Counter-Protesters and Counter-Demonstrators
See also: High School Protest Rights

Need to put on a protest really soon?  If so, quick protest planning is for you.

1) Pick a Topic.  You can be for something, against something, or informative/ educational.

2) Pick a place.   It must be “the public way,” meaning a public sidewalk or publicly-owned plaza that is not part of a park.  If you are staying within the public way and not in any way interfering with the flow of vehicle or pedestrian traffic, you should not need a permit. 

NOTE: If you have a large group protesting a recent event, and if you will not fit on the sidewalk and must take to the streets, international law says that the police should allow you to be in the street, even if it inconveniences others.

3) Pick a day and time.  The best bet for a quick-planned protest is to pick an afternoon time slot of 2 hours, on whatever day of the week you think people will come.   You have to be there the whole time, but attendees will come and go.  

4) Invite people.  Set up an events page on Facebook.  Tweet it on twitter.  Make a website or blog about it.   Post about it in logical places.  Put ads on Craigslist under "events" and "politics."

5) Make signs.  Nowadays, most  protest signs must be hand-held, because sticks of any size are not allowed.  That means a sign should be no larger than 18 inches by 24 inches, so a person can easily hold it.   Many protests hold a sign-making party before the protest. Some protest organizers print up signs to provide to attendees who did not bring their own signs.  If sign sticks are allowed, if you limit them to the length and width and thickness of a wooden measuring yardstick, you should be fine. 

Update June 2020:  Sticks or poles of any kind are now definitely not allowed.  Make your signs of paper or cardboard and of a size so they can be easily carried and held by one person.  Don't allow sticks, flagpoles, banner poles, plastic pipes, or any other thing that could be used as a weapon.

6) Find out if you can use a loudspeaker or megaphone.  Check the municipal ordinances for sections on noise, sound, amplification, etc.  If you can use one, try to get one.  If you cannot use one, plan to use call-and-response.  Make up some easy call-and-response chants.

7) Decide how you want to run the protest.  Will there be speakers?  Will people lead the protesters in call-and-response?  Will you walk on the sidewalk to someplace?   Will there be music? (Invite acoustic musicians or drummers.)   Plan an agenda of what happens when, where, by whom, and how.  Write it down.  Stick to it.  Give copies of the agenda to many key people so they also know what is happening.  Try to do these things online and digitally, so you are not creating pieces of paper that will become litter.

8) Get people to help.  Assign some people to be crossing guards or to keep protesters on the sidewalk or just generally to help keep the group organized and on track.  Get people to commit to speak,  to clean up. Invite acoustic musicians or drummers.  Ask everyone to bring their own water, but it is also a good idea to have some bottles of water available.  

9) Last Minute Preparations: Keep reminding people about the event.  Try to get a certain number of people to commit to coming.  Prepare what you will bring:  Sound system, signs, trash bags for clean-up.

10) On the day of the protest, show up a little early to greet early arrivals.  Start off slowly, since most people will arrive late.  Run the protest.  End on time.

And don't forget: > Clean up.  Pick up all flyers, water bottles, or other trash.  

For more detailed information, see:

Permits for Protest Marches
FREE Download - Occupy Poster by Aaron Kuehn

Top 7 Things That Get People Arrested at a Protest aka How to Not Get Arrested
Time, Place, and Manner Restrictions on Peaceable Assembly
Oakland Police Department Crowd Dispersal Policy
Occupy Protests and the First Amendment
Agents Provocateurs: What and Who They Are
Flash Mob Protests
Undercover Cops at Occupy Protests
High School Protest Rights

     

Protests: International Standards 2016

Protests: International Standards 2016

by Susan Basko, esq.

The expert panel of OSCE ODIHR has issued Human Rights Handbook on Policing Assemblies, its latest guidebook on international standards for protests. You can download a pdf of the guidebook HERE.   Previous versions in earlier years have leaned toward vague and euphemistic wording and idealistic expectations.  This 2016 version is more specific and useful, perhaps because of the addition of 10 panelists from police departments worldwide.

On this panel from the U.S., there is Ralph Price, General Counsel of the Office of the Superintendent from the Chicago Police Department.  Chicago has an excellent recent track record of large protests with no major trouble.  Chicago has also been able to hold huge non-protest events with only minor expected problems.  These events have included the November 2016 rally and parade for the Chicago Cubs World Series win, which the City of Chicago estimates had an attendance of 5 million people, making it the largest gathering ever in the United States and the seventh largest gathering in world history.  By any measure, this makes the Chicago Police experts at handling crowds. This sort of real world expertise helps make this new guidebook quite useful.

Note: OSCE ODIHR stands for Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. OSCE has 57 participating nations on 3 continents of Europe, North America, and Asia.

In this guidebook, "assembly" specifically means a protest of some sort.  This guidebook lists "meetings, rallies, pickets, demonstrations, marches, processions, parades and flash mobs."  Glaringly absent is almost any mention of camping or tent protests, which have been prevalent worldwide over the past 5 years.  Page 13 of the guidebook makes this statement, but fails to call it "camping," and fails to mention tents: "Though they (protests) are usually of temporary nature, they may also last for considerable time, with their semi-permanent structures in place for several months." After this brief mention, the topic of camping as a protest is dropped.  In fact, since the Occupy protests, camping protests have become popular worldwide.

Also missing is any mention of a sit-in, which is a short or long term residence inside a building.  Another term used for this is occupation.  For example, in January 2016, armed protesters at the Maleur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon took over a lodge-like park office building that was closed for the season.  This was called an occupation, an armed occupation, a stand-off.

Camping and sit-in protests involve the occupation and exclusive use of space meant to be shared by others. These protests are often highly effective at galvanizing dissent and thus, may be highly useful to a democracy.  They are also where law enforcement most needs to be guided and restrained.  If you have been paying attention to the recent police actions against the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and allied protesters of the Dakota Access Pipeline that proposes to send oil through several U.S. States, you have seen protesters sprayed with water in freezing temperatures, attacked with chemical weapons, and injured with projectiles shot from guns. The "No DAPL" protesters have a huge groundswell of support and appear to be holding ground on land that rightly belongs to their tribe.  Yet, stories of abuse by law enforcement against the protesters are cropping up daily.  The photos and videos are hard to deny.

Flash mobs are also listed in the "Types of Assemblies"  (pg 15), but are only minimally addressed thereafter.  This may be because a peaceful flash mob will usually be over and gone before there can be any police response.

Another topic that is missing from the guidebook is the manner of making arrests.  This is glossed over.  In the U.S., there has developed a widespread practice of police forcing a person to the ground to arrest the person.  This has led to many cases of injury and to physical abuse committed by police.  The arrestee is often ordered or forced to the ground, usually for no apparent reason.  Often, a police officer places a knee into the back of the person on the ground.  This surely causes injury to anyone and has been known to cause severe injury and death. Numerous videos show multiple police officers piling onto a person on the ground. Many videos show the person on the ground being kicked, beaten, or even shot (though shooting is usually in individual encounters and not in protest situations.)  The method and manner of arrest is an issue of dire, immediate importance in human rights with regard to policing.  The guidebook would have been far more balanced if the panel had included those who plan and participate in protests, rather than such a theory-only based panel.  It is way past time for any groups interested in human rights to address the manner and method of making an arrest.

Another topic that is missing is the widespread practice of targeting peaceful leaders for arrest.  Again, including panelists with real protest experience would have been useful.  Leaders of protests are often "picked off" by police in what are essentially random kidnappings.  Again, there is often video to show that such arrests come about with no provocation or need.

Another major topic that the guidelines do not address is the jamming or other interference with wifi or phone signals, and/or the use of stingrays to gather data from devices.  These actions by police to sabotage personal and journalistic media and communications should be prohibited.

 Thus, I suggest that in future versions of such OSCE ODIHR guidebooks on policing for protests:

1.  That additional panelists be included to reflect a more well-rounded viewpoint, including those who plan and participate in protests;
2.  That camping protests be addressed;
3. That sit-in or occupation protests be addressed;
4. That the specific method and manner of arrests be addressed and that police be prohibited from requiring or forcing any person to lie on the ground;
5. That the practice of targeting peaceful leaders for arrest be prohibited.
6. That police should be prohibited from jamming or interfering with wifi or phone signals or from using stingrays to gather data.

Among the positive highlights of the guidebook as the topics relate to the protesters or those engaged in the assembly , I have found these things (These are being numbered for use in referencing them; they are not in any order of importance.)

1. Freedom of peaceful assembly is a fundamental human right and, as such, is considered one of the cornerstones of a democratic society. (pg 12)

2. That protests often block traffic or cause inconvenience: "Many assemblies will also cause some degree of disruption to routine activities; they may occupy roads and thoroughfares or impact traffic, pedestrians and the business community. Such disruption caused by the exercise of fundamental freedoms must be treated with some degree of tolerance. It must be recognized that public spaces are as much for people to assemble in as they are for other types of activity, and thus the right to assemble must be facilitated. (pg 13)

3. That there must be a balancing act between the different people wishing to use the space: "Where peaceful protest interferes with the rights and freedoms of others it will often be the responsibility of the police to balance respect for of those rights with the right to freedom of assembly." (pg 14)

4. That there is a human right to peaceful assembly, but not to engage in violence against property or people:  "The right to assemble is a right to assemble peacefully. There is no right to act in a violent manner when exercising one’s right to assemble. If an individual acts violently while participating in an assembly, then that individual is no longer exercising a protected human right. However, violent acts by isolated individuals do not necessarily affect the right to assemble of those who remain peaceful." (pg 15)

5. Even if the protesters fail to comply with regulations (such as local regulations that may require a permit) police should still facilitate the protest:  "It should be noted that even though an assembly organizer or individual participants may fail to comply with legal requirements for assemblies, this alone does not release the police from their obligation to protect and facilitate an assembly that remains peaceful." (pg 15)

6. What is "peaceful assembly"?   "Peaceful Assembly: An assembly should be deemed peaceful if the organizers have professed peaceful intentions and the conduct of the participants is non-violent. Peaceful intention and conduct should be presumed unless there is compelling and demonstrable evidence that those organizing or participating in that particular event themselves intend to use, advocate or incite imminent violence. The term “peaceful” should be interpreted to include expressive conduct that may annoy or give offence, and even conduct that temporarily hinders, impedes or obstructs the  activities of third parties. 2 An assembly should be considered peaceful, and thus facilitated by the authorities, even if the organizers have not complied with all legal requirements. Lack of such compliance should not be an excuse to inhibit, disrupt or try to prevent an assembly." (pg. 14-15)

7. What is not "peaceful assembly"? "Assemblies that incite hatred, violence or war, aim to deliberately restrict or deny the rights of others or aim to intimidate, harass or threaten others, in violation of applicable law, are not considered to be protected assemblies. Article 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states that “any propaganda for war shall be prohibited by law, and that any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law.” (pg 15)

8. If some of the protesters are violent, police should deal with those individuals and not deny the whole group the right to assemble: "If individuals or small groups of people engage in acts of physical violence during an assembly, the police should always ensure that their response is proportionate and focuses on those who are engaged in violent behaviour rather than directed at the participants in the assembly more generally. This is true whether the violence is directed against the police, individuals, property, people within the assembly or those perceived to be in opposition."  (pg 18)

Example from recent news: Such a situation was seen at a recent protest in Portland, Oregon, after the 2016 presidential election.  A very large protest took place.  A small subset of individuals came armed with bats and metal bars, and broke windows on shops and smashed the windows and metal on cars.  The Portland police were heard on videos telling those not engaged in the violence to separate themselves from the violent protesters and go protest at a different location where peaceful protests were being held.  The police then declared the area a riot and stated that all present were under arrest.  Overall, it appeared that the Portland police did a good job of protecting the rights of the peaceful protesters while being able to arrest a significant number of the violent protesters.

9. Costs of Policing should not be charged to protesters or organizers.  Insurance coverage should not be required: "The costs of providing adequate security and safety (including policing and traffic management operations) should be fully covered by the public authorities. The state must not levy any financial charge for providing adequate policing. Organizers of non-commercial public assemblies should not be required to obtain public-liability insurance for their event." (pg 21)

NOTE:  I would like to see this expanded to say that a City should open its available public restrooms for use by those in an assembly or protest.  Other nearby facilities, such as park benches, picnic tables, public transportation stations and bus stops, drinking fountains and water spigots, electrical outlets, bicycle racks, and other existing facilities should be open and their use not denied to protesters.

10. Police should not interfere with or restrict media journalists.  No distinction should be made between media organizations and independent journalists.  People should be allowed to video or photograph the police.  Police should not confiscate or damage cameras, cell phones, or other equipment of the journalists. (pgs 33-34)

11. That police officers may never act as agents provocateurs: "That officers must not act as agents provocateurs and may never instigate, participate or incite illegal actions within the assembly." (pg 71)  This topic is limited to a single sentence, but should instead be printed in huge bold letters taking up an entire page.  There are many stories of police acting as agents provocateurs and trying to incite violence or entrap protesters.  It is heartening to see this despicable practice prohibited by OSCE ODIHR.

12. Policing Strategy:  Part II of the guidebook, which is pages 42-125, deals with the police planning and strategy.  Topics include the use of water cannons, chemical agents, impact round (less than lethal weapons), and firearms.  Notably absent is discussion of the use of a sound cannon or LRAD.   If you are involved in planning protests or in giving legal advice or assistance to those who do plan protests, you should read this entire section.  It will give you a picture of the details of planning, infrastructure, and expense that go into running a police force that can properly handle public assemblies. (pgs 42-125)  It can also help you understand the rights of protesters and how to protect them from harm.  Although each city in the U.S. and each city worldwide all have different specific laws regarding public assembly, there is a commonality to the approach.  This guidebook is an attempt to get the OSCE member nations all on the same framework of respect for human rights in peaceful assemblies.

NOTE: My personal observation has been that the more organizers and protesters or participants in public assemblies are aware of the laws, rules, regulations, and practices of the police and city, the more likely the protest is to be peaceful.   The more people can engage in peaceful protest, the better the democracy.  Protest and assembly are basic human rights that lead to better government.

So, too, the more aware that people are of the possibility that there may be people who show up at a peaceful protest with the intent of disrupting it with violence or chaos, the more likely the peaceful ones are to separate themselves from the violence.  Knowledge is a powerful thing.


More about OSCE:

The OSCE has 57 participating States from Europe, Central Asia and North America:

• • Albania
  • Andorra
  • Armenia
  • Austria
  • Azerbaijan
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Bulgaria
  • Canada
  • Croatia
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Georgia
  • Germany
  • Greece
• • Holy See
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Latvia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Malta
  • Moldova
  • Monaco
  • Mongolia
  • Montenegro
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
• • Romania
  • Russian Federation
  • San Marino
  • Serbia
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Tajikistan
  • the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
  • Turkey
  • Turkmenistan
  • Ukraine
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • Uzbekistan

 



About my involvement with OSCE ODIHR: Susan Basko, the author of this article, is a lawyer in the United States of America. Among other things, she assists those who want to plan a protest.  She is open in helping people from the wide spectrum of political and personal viewpoints.  IN 2012, she assisted OSCE ODIHR in a study of protests throughout the world, with her expertise being lent to the U.S. protests taking place in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Oakland, California.  Ms. Basko was invited by OSCE ODIHR to participate in a summit of leaders and activists from around the globe.  That meeting was held in Vienna, Austria. Ms. Basko contributed by making proposals for international laws to require nations not to interfere with internet or phone signals during a protest.  That proposal was accepted by the assembly and became part of the recommendations for laws sent to the 57 participating nations.  Ms. Basko sees OSCE ODIHR as the organization making the biggest impact worldwide to protect the human rights of freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of the media.

Protesting - What is Legal and What is Not?

Protesting - What is Legal and What is Not?

by Susan Basko, esq.

May 31, 2020. Many US cities experienced riots last night.  There seems to be a lot of confusion on what is legal and what is not.

PROTESTING IS LEGAL!  Protesting on the streets involves these things:

Walking

Marching 

Chanting

Carrying Signs

Being present

WHAT IS NOT LEGAL:

Breaking glass

Looting (stealing from a store or house or business)

Damaging property

Spray painting on things you don't own

Starting fires

Hurting any person by pushing, hitting, kicking

Blockading people or vehicles so they cannot keep moving

Throwing fireworks at anyone

Shooting a gun around people

Anything else that damages or endangers people or property

Protest Questions & Answers

Protest Questions and Answers

by Susan Basko, esq.

The following are some of the many search terms that people have used this week to get to this site.  I will take these as questions and try to answer.  I am taking them exactly as written, typos and all.

1. peaceful protests where people got arrested -
Answer: Protesting is legal.  It is our Constitutional right.  Very few protesters are arrested, overall.  If a protest is peaceful, arrests are not likely.  However, even at a peaceful protest, there can be people doing things that get them arrested.  In addition, if a protest runs for too many hours, often police begin causing trouble, randomly attacking and arresting people.  If you want to run a peaceful protest, keep it to 2 hours maximum.  If you want to keep yourself safe at a longer protest, leave after a reasonable amount of time before people and police get cranky and start doing things they should not.


2. fbi infiltrate seattle protestors  
Answer: I don't know anything about this, but it would not surprise me.  You might want to google this and see what information is out there.


3. "facebook" and "doxbin" 
Answer: Facebook is a major social media. Doxbin is a type of site usually used by hackers, stalkers, or people engaged in violent crimes.  Some of the people that are involved in Doxbin crime sites have Twitter and/or Facebook accounts. 


4. california unlawful assembly required announcement  
Answer: In California and most other places, if the police decide that a protest is an unlawful assembly, they are supposed to make an announcement over loudspeaker or shouted if there is no loudspeaker.  They are supposed to repeat the announcement as many times as it takes and from different locations so that everyone has a chance to hear it.  The police might not do all this, though.  In the announcement, the police officer will state that the protest or gathering has been declared an unlawful assembly and that people must leave or they will be subject to arrest and to weaponry.  The announcement is supposed to tell which direction people are supposed to walk to leave.  Many (most?) people at a protest do not know which direction they are facing, and often to do not know the name of nearby streets.  So when police announce that people are to "walk West on Smith Street," most people won't know where that is.  The order to leave an unlawful assembly is called an Order to Disperse.  That means to leave and go home.  When an order to disperse has been given, police are supposed to allow protesters to leave and not try to kettle them or capture them.  If you do not obey an order to disperse, or if you are caught in a crowd that cannot quickly leave, you may experience tear gas, pepper spray, LRAD (a sonic weapon), rubber bullets, flash bangs, etc, as well as face being arrested or kettled.

5. giving dispersal orders during a unlawful assembly  
Answer: See the answer to #4 above.  It is the same in many states.  If an unlawful assembly has been declared, the police are supposed to announce that and give an order to disperse, followed by telling people where they need to walk to leave the area.


6. what happens if you're arrested at a protest   
Answer: Usually they put zip ties on your hands, usually too tightly, and they make you stand around or sit around waiting to be transported somewhere.  Then, usually they put you onto a hot bus and make you sit on it for hours.  Then, they usually take you someplace to be processed, maybe a jail, maybe some impromptu place.  Then, they hold you for hours or up to a few days and let you go, either based on your identification or based on bail money.  Usually while you are being held, you will not have water, food, or a chance to go to the bathroom.


7. anaheim protest live  
Answer: I don't know anything about this.  There are protests all over the place, including Anaheim.


8. are peaceful protesters getting arrested 
Answer: Yes, that happens sometimes. Most peaceful protesters do not get arrested, but some do.


9. arrested protester being denied insulin   
Answer:  If you are arrested at a protest, you will almost surely not be given any medicines, even if you need them.  If you need medicine, let the police know right away and maybe they will let you go home instead of arresting you.  Giving you any medicine while in custody will require either that you have it with you and then being allowed to take it, or the police would have to bring you to a hospital for a prescription, and they are extremely unlikely to do that. If you are in medical need, it is probably best to avoid going to any protest that might get out of hand. 

10. can you sue if you are hurt protesting  
Answer: Sometimes protesters who have been injured by police by excessive use of force have sued the police and on rare occasions, they have won.  If a protester is hurt by the negligent or criminal acts of another, such as being run over intentionally by a car, they might sue the person that did it.  Anyone in such a situation should speak with a Civil Rights lawyer or possibly a personal injury lawyer.  They will evaluate your specific case for its facts and apply those to the law and then tell you if they think you have a case or not.   Try to keep out of the way of trouble at a protest.  In the George Floyd protests, it has been reported that police have shot many people with rubber bullets.  Rubber bullets are extremely dangerous and should never be used to disperse a crowd. During these protests, it has been reported that numerous people have lost an eye after police shot them in the eye with a rubber bullet.  Rubber bullets should be banned from use in protests.


11.  cost of getting out of jail after protest  
Answer: This can range from simply showing your identification all the way to thousands of dollars.  It depends on what basis you were arrested or what you have been charged with.   It also depends what "game" the police are playing at the moment.  Maybe they're going to hold you on a hot bus for a few hours and let you go.  Maybe they are going to take you to jail and make you go before a judge to set bail.  It all depends.  If people have to pay bail, it will be based sometimes on the set bail amount for that charge.  It also depends on the state and even on the county.  For example, failure to disperse can bring different bail amounts in different counties in the same state.  Usually overall, most protest arrests will be no bail or a few hundred dollars, though some can be significantly higher.


12.  la city rules for protests and marches   - 
Answer: Use the search bar on this site on the right hand side bar near the top.

Spying on George Floyd Protesters

Spying on George Floyd Protesters

The following letter is a scoop that was obtained by Jason Leopold and Buzzfeed News.  See Buzzfeed News for more context.  The letter is from five members of the U.S. Senate asking for informatoin from the Department of Justice, Department of Defense, Department of Interior, and Department of Homeland Security requesting information on what each is doing with regard to George Floyd protesters.

UCLA Used by LAPD to Detain Those Arrested at Protest

Royce Hall, UCLA, photo by Alton, 
creative commons license 

UCLA Used by LAPD to Detain Those Arrested at Protest

by Susan Basko, esq

According to the letter below, which states it is from UCLA faculty members, the UCLA campus was used the Los Angeles Police Department to detain people who had been arrested at protests in downtown Los Angeles.

Letter from faculty:

June 2, 2020

Dear Chancellor Block and Executive Vice-Chancellor Carter,

It has come to our attention that last evening, June 1, 2020, a UCLA facility, the Jackie Robinson Stadium, was used by LAPD to detain protesters and process arrests, including arrests of UCLA students. We have heard from the National Lawyers Guild-Los Angeles, arrested UCLA students, and other arrested protesters on this matter.

Testimony from arrested protesters is chilling. Arrested for violation of curfew in downtown Los Angeles, protesters were crowded into LA County Sheriff’s Department buses and brought to UCLA. As they arrived, they looked out of the small windows on these prison buses only to see Bruins logos and signs greeting them at the Jackie Robinson Stadium. Protesters were held on these buses at UCLA for five to six hours, without access to restrooms, food, water, information, or medical attention. Indeed, there was a medical emergency on one of the buses, one that received a response from the fire department several hours later. 

All protocols of social distancing were violated by the LA County Sheriff’s Department and LAPD with protesters deliberately crowded into buses and officers not following rules and recommendations established by the City, the County, and the CDC, including wearing masks. The cruel irony that this took place at a location used as a COVID-19 testing site is not lost on those arrested or on us. 

When protesters were taken off the buses, they were subject to processing in the parking lot of the stadium and then released, which meant that they were directed to find their way home late at night (between 1:30 am and 3:30 am) from the Jackie Robinson Stadium. Without working cell phones and under conditions of curfew, this was a near impossible task, especially for those unhoused Angelenos who had also been arrested for curfew violation for simply being on the streets of downtown Los Angeles and were now marooned at UCLA.

 In addition, protesters, including UCLA students, were arrested in Westwood, again for violation of curfew. They were brought to Jackie Robinson Stadium on LAPD buses after LAPD tried to commandeer a 720 Metro Bus but failed to maneuver it through the streets. We share these details because if you do not already know them, you must know them now.

We write to express our deep concern about these events and the matter of UCLA collaboration with LAPD and other police forces. In recent days, UCLA leadership has shared statements of solidarity denouncing institutionalized racism and recognizing the importance of protest against such racism.

Last night’s use of Jackie Robinson Stadium stands in sharp hypocrisy to these statements. We have heard from our students and we agree that such solidarity statements must be accompanied not by collaboration with the police but by concrete steps that move us towards the divestment of UCLA from LAPD and other forms of policing, similar to the prompt action taken by the President of the University of Minnesota following the murder of Mr. George Floyd. In the coming months, we intend to work towards this goal in partnership with student and community organizations. We look forward to being in dialogue and alliance with you on this.

That said, we also seek a full accounting of the events of last evening. The Jackie Robinson Stadium is a UCLA facility, implicating all of us in the use of that space to detain protestors and process arrests. It is our understanding that UCLA holds the lease to the Jackie Robinson Stadium and its parking lots, which sit on VA grounds. We ask for a detailed, public statement on the chain of events, decisions, and command lines that led to the use of this facility by LAPD and its mobile processing units last evening and a copy of any agreements that may govern LAPD’s use of this UCLA facility. We also ask for an immediate cessation of the use of this facility or any other UCLA facility by LAPD and other police forces.

Last evening, UCLA students were arrested for engaging in the constitutionally protected right to peacefully protest against racial injustice, which is pervasive in American policing. They were detained and processed at a stadium on their own campus named after Jackie Robinson, an icon of the long and unfinished struggle for Black freedom. Today many of them are trying to complete final examinations and final assignments. This is not the UCLA education and experience that they deserve.

But this is not just about our students. As UCLA faculty, we refuse to allow our university to serve as a police outpost at this moment of national uprising and at any other time. As a public university, we serve the public and our students, and this in turn requires dismantling the mechanisms of punishment that have historically caused undeniable harm to communities in Los Angeles.

A few days ago, we were glad to read your statement which noted: "Still, we recognize that UCLA also can and must do better. As campus leaders, we recommit ourselves to ensuring that our policies and actions value the lives, safety and dignity of every Bruin." This is our chance to do better.

We look forward to receiving a full and detailed accounting of last evening’s incident and to working with you and the rest of the UCLA leadership on divestment from collaborations with LAPD and other police forces.

[signed by dozens of UCLA faculty and administrators]

Protest or Riot? Sliding Scale

"Protests Turn Destructive": Woman carries whole cheesecake from
looted Cheesecake Factory during protest.


Protest or Riot? Sliding Scale

Protest - Peaceful Assembly

Unlawful Assembly - (as determined by police on the scene)

Riot - when things really get cooking

Uprising - sustained over time

Revolt - with a definite purpose, songs written for it

Revolution - everyone gets new hats!

Where on this scale does a woman taking a whole cheesecake from a looted Cheesecake Factory restaurant fit?  That's probably Uprising.  It looks like she also took a little container of milk, so it might be a Revolt.  If she writes a protest song about it, it is for sure a Revolution.  If she took a whole Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake, she is the Leader of the Revolution.

You have rights if ICE is at your door

You have rights if ICE is at your door

for more information, you can visit:

https://www.aclu.org/issues/immigrants-rights/ice-and-border-patrol-abuses/we-have-rights 

Close the Camps protests July 2 2019

Host or Attend #CloseTheCamps Protest Tuesday, July 2

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Children denied soap and toothbrushes, crowded into unsafe conditions. Separated from their families, subject to cruel treatment that leads to lasting traumas. And some dying in custody—or dying with parents as they cross the Rio Grande.

We've seen the images and heard the stories coming out of child detention centers. Horrifically, these conditions aren't an accident. They are the byproduct of an intentional strategy by the Trump administration to terrorize immigrant communities and criminalize immigration—from imprisoning children in inhumane conditions to threatening widespread raids to break up families to covering up reports of immigrants dying in U.S. custody and abuses by ICE and CBP agents.

It’s going to take all of us to close the camps. 

This Tuesday, July 2, while members of Congress are home for the Fourth of July holiday, we will gather at 12 p.m. noon local time at their local offices in protest. Our demands:

1. Close the Camps
2. Not One Dollar for Family Detention
 and Deportation
3. Bear Witness and Reunite Families

Will you join a local Close the Camps protest near you this Tuesday, July 2? Find an event or start your own, and bring everyone you know. Can't attend or host an event? Text CAMPS to 668366 to continue taking action to #CloseTheCamps.

A core principle shared by supporting organizations is a commitment to nonviolent, peaceful actions. All actions that are sponsored or organized on this page are intended to be nonviolent and peaceful. We expect all participants to act lawfully at all times and to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values. 

Presidents Day 2019 Protests against Fake Emergency

Attend a Presidents Day Protest

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Donald Trump has declared a #FakeNationalEmergency—an illegal power grab from an unhinged man to push his racist, dangerous policies. 

We're mobilizing rapid-response events on Presidents Day—Monday, 2/18—against Trump's fake crisis and racist deportation force and to stand with immigrant, Muslim, and Black and brown communities to stop Trump's dangerous and illegal power grab.

Events will be at noon local time, or a time selected by hosts.

Join a #PresidentsDay protest to fight Trump’s fake crisis and racist deportation force. Use the search tools to find an event near you and RSVP.

If you choose to attend an event, you agree to engage in nonviolent, peaceful action, to act lawfully, and to strive to de-escalate any potential confrontations with those who may disagree with our values.