Introduction
Taking to the streets in peaceful protest is a sacred right of all Americans, enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution. Here’s how to make what you need for safe, peaceful, and effective protest. This list is just a start. Stay healthy out there! First published on Make: in May 2020, updated on 19 June (Juneteenth) 2020.
Please note that this article is from the USA and references some activist practices, policing and the legal situation in that country. Make sure to access information relevant to where you are protesting, including in relation to your legal rights.
Photo by Maria Oswalt on Unsplash
Signs, Banners, Effigies, Performance
Creative Direct Action Visuals — excellent guide to making banners and flags, stencils for posters, T-shirts, puppets, more, from Ruckus Society: ruckus.org/training-manuals/creative-direct-action-visuals/
Making signs and posters — New York City and other jurisdictions don’t allow wooden sticks or metal in signs; know your local law.
Collapsible sign — makezine.com/projects/collapsible-demonstration-sign
LED-based “neon” sign — makezine.com/2018/08/16/how-to-make-led-based-neon-signs
Protest signs generally — medium.com/@faerye/how-to-make-a-sturdy-rain-proof-protest-sign-baafe56445e2
popsci.com/how-to-make-best-protest-sign
vice.com/en_us/article/ypxmwk/how-to-make-a-protest-sign-that-isnt-garbage
BLM Rise Up by Kaitlynn Radloff, from JustSeeds.org.
Free graphics for protest — justseeds.org/graphics
Banner hoisting — destructables.org
Banner drops — destructables.org
Effigies — destructables.org
Giant inflatables — destructables.org/node/53
Tactical performance — Theater as protest, by L.M. (Larry) Bogad of the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army: routledge.com/Tactical-Performance-The-Theory-and-Practice-of-Serious-Play/Bogad/p/book/9781138917842
Art for change — The Bay Area has programs like these; check your local area. rcnv.org/events/hands-on-artmaking-for-change-with-david-solnit, girlsgarage.org/program/protest-and-print
Graffiti mural honoring George Floyd from Black Lives Matter protest, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photo by munshots on Unsplash
Photo by Mike Von from Unsplash
Personal Protection
Make a Wellness Bag: If you’re going to be on the front lines, pack a bag with shatter-resistant eye protection (don’t wear contact lenses), shoes you can run in, snacks and water (for drinking and rinsing eyes), a change of clothes (in case of chemical exposure), bandana soaked with vinegar (to breathe through during chemical exposure), 3 days’ worth of medications (in case of arrest), more. From Black Lives Matter: justhealing.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/emotional-physical-safety-in-protests-blm.pdf
Make a COVID-19 Go Kit: Pandemic addendum: add face masks, hand sanitizer and gloves, vinegar-soaked cotton balls, more. From Blackout Collective and Movement for Black Lives (M4BL): m4bl.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/COVID-19-Tactics_Actions-ENGLISH1-1.jpg
Medic’s Kit — If you’re comfortable giving first aid to fellow protestors. From Frontline Wellness United: frontlinewellness.org/medics-kit-recommended-equipment-supplies
Street mural, Washington, D.C. Photo by Koshu Kunii on Unsplash.
Remedies for pepper spray / tear gas:
Antacid/water mix, from Frontline Wellness United: frontlinewellness.org/guidelines-for-treating-pepperspraychemical-irritants
Illustrated Medical Pamphlet for Protests, from Occupy Oakland: destructables.org/destructable/illustrated-medical-pamphlet-protests-occupy-oakland-download
More tear gas tips: usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2020/06/02/george-floyd-protests-everything-know-tear-gas-pepper-spray/5307500002
popsci.com/story/diy/tear-gas-guide
Tear gas traffic cones — Hong Kong protesters’ tactic: cover a tear gas canister with a traffic cone, then pour water down the hole to neutralize it. www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/08/02/innovative-hong-kong-protesters-using-lasers-traffic-cones-parkour
DIY gas mask — Vinegar is said to help block pepper spray and tear gas (though scientific evidence is lacking). Soak an N95 mask in it, and put this DIY face shield over top, made from a soda bottle: instructables.com/id/DIY-Gas-Mask
Plywood signs — to protect against rubber bullets and other projectiles. Again, no wood allowed in NYC and other places, know your local laws.
Street Art and Postering
Street painting:
How to Paint a Street Mural, by David Solnit: docs.google.com/document/d/1YSds_fBq05O7Z6yamMkuAbYsKA7eRdNQOF71svLfHZA/edit
Street mural materials and logistics: The DC Murals team shared their tips with Make:
makezine.com/2020/06/19/how-to-paint-street-murals-tips-from-dc/
Chalk drawing — destructables.org/node/91
Stealthy sidewalk stencil box — destructables.org/destructable/associated-artists-propaganda-researchs-stencil-box-spray-painting-sidewalks
Asphalt mosaics — destructables.org/node/55
Wheat paste recipe for postering — destructables.org/destructable/wheatpaste-recipe-putting-postersbillboard-alterations
Billboard “improvement” — destructables.org/node/82
DIY newspaper headlines — destructables.org/node/63 , destructables.org/content/make-your-own-newspaper-headlines
Organizing and Occupying
Action Strategy: A How-to Guide — from the Ruckus Society: ruckus.org/training-manuals/the-action-strategy-guide/
Apps to use to organize protests — vox.com/recode/2020/6/3/21278558/protest-apps-signal-citizen-twitter-instagram-george-floyd
Protest and campaign tactics — beautifulrising.org and beautifultrouble.org
Lockboxes — for human-chain blockades and sit-ins: destructables.org/node/59
Security Culture for Activists — from Ruckus Society: ruckus.org/training-manuals/security-tips-resources/
Faraday pouch blocks phone signals. Photo by Forrest M. Mims III
Defeat phone surveillance — Many organizers recommend you don’t bring a phone to protests because opponents can use it to spy on you. Leave your phone home, or if you must bring it …
Bag your phone in a Faraday pouch to block all its signals. From Make: Magazine: makezine.com/projects/amateur-scientist-solar-flares-emp-and-faraday-shields
Disable your phone’s facial and thumbprint authentication; use a password/PIN instead. More tips at: wired.com/story/how-to-protest-safely-surveillance-digital-privacy
Digital privacy and security measures for staying safe while protesting — Great overview from Adafruit, by Violet Blue: blog.adafruit.com/2020/06/05/digital-privacy-and-security-measures-for-staying-safe-while-protesting/
Tools for blurring faces and anonymizing your photos — techcrunch.com/2020/06/06/protesters-blur-faces-anonymize-photos/
Defeat face recognition and camera surveillance — Face recognition computers can be confused by weird face makeup or “adversarial” images on signs or T-shirts. Security cameras can be blinded by infrared LEDs on hats or glasses. Or you can stick with the good old-fashioned hoodie, bandana, and sunglasses. From Make: Magazine: makezine.com/2020/06/16/face-jam-evade-facial-recognition
More tips and tricks to try:
www.wired.co.uk/article/avoid-facial-recognition-software
theverge.com/2018/1/3/16844842/ai-computer-vision-trick-adversarial-patches-google
mashable.com/review/review-reflectacles-phantom-anti-facial-recognition-technology-glasses-frames
newyorker.com/magazine/2020/03/16/dressing-for-the-surveillance-age
mashable.com/review/review-reflectacles-phantom-anti-facial-recognition-technology-glasses-frames
motherjones.com/politics/2013/12/christmas-presents-nsa/
Black Lives Matter protest in Washington, DC, 6/1/2020. Photo by Koshu Kunii from Unsplash, @koshuphotography
Interactions with Police
Know your rights — aclu.org/know-your-rights/protesters-rights
Know the local number for National Lawyers Guild — Write it on your body in Sharpie. They can help to get you out of jail. nlg.org/massdefenseprogram
Download an SOS app for your phone — Many organizers recommend you don’t bring a phone to protests because opponents can use it to spy on you. If you do bring it, program it to alert friends and family that you’re being arrested.
Siri shortcut: Pulled Over By Police — Automatically quiets your phone, puts it in privacy mode, begins recording video, and texts a friend that you’ve been pulled over, with geographic location. When you stop recording, automatically sends the video to your friend as well. By Robert Petersen, via Reddit: reddit.com/r/shortcuts/comments/9huqiw/getting_pulled_over_by_police
Decoding some digital audio from police radio. Image by SADMIN/Null Byte
Radio and Situational Awareness
Police scanners are perfectly legal in most places; know your local laws.
Using a police scanner — programming in trunked radio systems: youtube.com/watch?v=yWrOAEaTRv0
DIY police scanner (analog) — Use your computer as a scanner for $20, with the popular RTL-SDR software-defined radio (SDR) dongle: webcommand.net/index.php/2018/01/19/build-police-scanner-20
DIY police scanner (digital + analog) — If your PD uses digital audio, you’ll need to add digital audio decoder software to your SDR scanner project.
MacOS build, from Nullbyte: null-byte.wonderhowto.com/how-to/hack-radio-frequencies-building-radio-listening-station-decode-digital-audio-police-dispatches-0176557
Windows build, from Instructables: instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-19-Police-Radio-Scanner
Android tablet or phone: youtube.com/watch?v=O5p41SGkOb4
Raspberry Pi: youtube.com/watch?v=iE9U6xmIpbM&feature=youtu.be
The Raspberry Pirate Radio, from Make: Magazine.
Pirate radio — Broadcast your own FM station using a Raspberry Pi, from Make: Magazine: makezine.com/projects/raspberry-pirate-radio
The Complete Manual of Pirate Radio by Zeke Teflon: destructables.org/destructable/pirate-radio-two-downloadable-manuals
Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Explore Further
For more on this topic see:
- Creative Activism: Start Here and the Arts & Creativity Topic on the Commons
- NVDA: Start Here and the Nonviolent Direct Action Topic on the Commons
- Defund the Police! (Creatively) by Beautiful Trouble
- Australian activist legal resources on CounterAct and on the Commons
Note
The Destructables.org website referred to in this article is no longer operating as of around 2022. Links have been provided to their website as captured by the Wayback Machine Archive. (May 2022)
