Should You Go To A Protest Tomorrow?

This Saturday is No King's Day. You Should Consider Going

Usually, audio narration is a premium perk, but this is really important and so I’m attaching it to the free version

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On Saturday, June 14th, Americans will protest the Trump administration’s rapidly-accelerating authoritarian power grab at “No Kings Day” events across the country. We will send a clear message to these pricks that we fought a whole war about this: we are a democracy, not a military dictatorship. While Trump tears up DC streets with his military birthday bash, No Kings Day protests will occur in every city across the country…except Washington DC:

Instead of allowing this birthday parade to be the center of gravity, we will make action everywhere else the story of America that day: people coming together in communities across the country to reject strongman politics and corruption.

-50501

Not only does this move draw attention away from Trump’s birthday parade, it disincentivizes violence against protests nationwide. After all, if shit hits the fan in LA or NYC or Boston or any other hot spot, it will take precious eyeballs away from the spectacle of American military might in the capital. I’m extremely impressed with this decision; it’s a sign they won’t reflexively engage with Trump on his own terms.

Wherever you are, though, there’s a No Kings protest near you. So…should you go?

You probably don’t need me to tell you that these protests are more risky than past 50501 events. Whether that risk is something you’re willing to tolerate is a deeply personal decision. I’m about to list a bunch of ways you can drop your risk level to nearly zero if you so choose, but the fact remains: there is risk, that risk is greater today than it was a month ago, and only you can decide whether that risk is worth it to you.

That being said: tomorrow is a really, really important day to show up if you can. That goes double for everyone who doesn’t consider themselves the protesting type. The Trump administration is doing their level best to portray these demonstrations as an army of Soros-backed Anti-American Antifa Supersoldier Boogeymen hell-bent on destroying freedom and baseball and mom’s apple pie. Trump wants the world to believe that all “real Americans” support his sick agenda. But you are also a real American, and your presence at these protests helps convey the depth of everyday anger at what Trump is doing to our country. It makes a difference. I hope you’ll consider it.

I’ve been to dozens, if not hundreds, of protests at this point, ranging from completely peaceful to nightmarishly violent. People who know this have been asking me for advice on whether to go, what to wear, how to act…etc. Here’s what I’ve got:

Baseline Risk Factors

Cities that Trump likes to demonize — LA, NYC, Chicago, Seattle, Portland, etc — have a higher likelihood of ICE and/or police suppression of free speech. If you live in a small town, or a town Trump doesn’t bring up in his speeches, your risk level is a lot lower.

People with asthma and people who can only correct their vision with contact lenses can be severely injured by tear gas. People with mobility issues may not be able to skidaddle quickly enough if police charge the protest line. People with PTSD could have a really bad time if flash-bangs get deployed. If you fall into any of these categories, you may want to sit this one out. Don’t let anyone give you shit for it either. Harming yourself helps no one.

Choosing Your Own Adventure

When it comes to large or even medium-sized protests, you have a lot of control over the experience you’re going to have. LA is a great example of this. Tens of thousands of people protested. Hundres were shot at with rubber bullets or charged by cops. Dozens were arrested. Luck plays a role, but mostly, it’s all about risk tolerance.

Do you want to square off against the cops and risk police violence? You can do that by standing in front. Do you not want to do that? Hang out in the middle of the crowd. Not everyone can be on the front line. I mean that literally: there's not enough room for thousands of people to stand at the front. If you don’t want to stand there, don’t stand there! Hang out in the center or towards the back.

Police almost always declare an unlawful assembly and/or order the crowd to disperse before mounting an assault. This isn’t out of the kindness of their hearts, it’s because they don’t like being outnumbered. The smaller the crowd, the easier it is to exert control. Things will not go from 0 to 60. You’ll have time to make a choice about whether you want to stick around.

There is absolutely no shame in showing up to a protest, standing up for what’s right, and then leaving when the cops signal their intent to become violent. Far better to do this than to not show up at all. There are a lot of ways to push back against this authoritarian power grab that don’t involve getting brutalized or gassed. Know yourself. Listen to your instincts. Do what’s right for you.

What to Wear/Bring

Your equipment will be partially determined by what role you plan to play and your own risk tolerance. What follows is mostly geared towards people who don’t have a ton of protest experience and don’t fancy getting gassed or arrested. Take what makes sense to you, leave the rest:

• Wear Extremely Normal Clothes

  • Police and ICE are aware of optics. They know that brutalizing someone in all black and a gas mask plays a lot better on the nightly news than brutalizing someone who looks, dresses, and acts like your next-door neighbor. Regular clothes help keep you safe, but it also keeps the entire protest safe. It makes cops think twice about, say, tear gassing everyone.
    
    Don’t get me wrong: those people in goggles or gas masks, clearly prepared for the worst? You want those people around. They’re the ones who will stand on the front lines when shit hits the fan and give you a chance to get the hell out. They’re the ones who will provide medical aid if you get injured or hand out ear plugs if you forgot yours at home. There are assholes in every group of people, protest veterans very much included, but most people who fall into that category care a lot about the cause and care about keeping other people safe.
    
    Another huge advantage of regular clothes is that they permit you to walk away and vanish into the general public if that becomes necessary. It's a really nice option to have, even if you ultimately decide against it

• Water and a small snack

  • It’s good to stay hydrated! I personally have a thing where adrenaline makes me not hungry and then, abruptly, very hungry, and I like having a small thing of nuts or something for when that happens.

• Safety phone number

  • You may have heard the advice about writing an emergency number on your body — an individual or organization you’d want to call if you ended up in jail. That can be good advice! I recommend not doing it anywhere that's visible to the cops. Some of them interpret the number as a sign that you intend to do something to get yourself arrested, and you don't need that extra scrutiny.

• N-95 and Earplugs

  • Similarly, bringing a full kit -- gas mask/respirator, goggles, armor, black bloc -- can make you a target of police violence. If you intend to hold the line if and when cops riot, that's fine clothing to wear. If that's not you, I recommend ear plugs and an N-95 instead
    
    An N-95 offers limited protection against tear gas -- enough to get you out of the cloud without snotting uncontrollably and/or puking. Earplugs will protect your hearing against flash-bang. Both items are very normal things to carry and will not attract the same kind of attention as, say, a respirator.

• Opt for glasses over contact lenses

  • You won’t actually go bind if you’re gassed with contacts in, but you will be in for a far more painful time and it’s harder to rinse the residue out of your eyes. Glasses are the better option.

• To mask or not to mask?

  • There will be cameras. If you're concerned about being recognized, consider wearing that N-95 or a surgical mask. However, showing your face shows those same cameras that you're a regular person and not a Soros-backed Antifa Supersoldier boogeyman. Make the call based on your comfort level.

• Phones

  • Phones are another one of those comfort-level things. If you're in a small town or at a small event, I wouldn't worry about it: bring your phone. If you're in a large town, there’s a low possibility that cops, ICE, or even the FBI might collect metadata of who attends these protests — it happened in Portland in 2020 and could happen again. If you're worried about this, consider investing in a faraday pouch, which blocks all signal to and from your phone and make it physically impossible for anyone to track you. TURNING YOUR PHONE OFF IS NOT ENOUGH. You want something that can stop signals entirely.
    
    I personally don't bother with a faraday pouch because I use my phone to take pictures and post to social media the entire time, but I do remove biometric login — no fingerprint unlock, no face recognition. It’s harder for cops to get a password than it is for them to wave your phone in front of your face and/or press your finger onto the screen.

• General advice:

  • Signs are awesome! You can get super creative with your sign or write something simple. You can also not take a sign at all. The majority of people who show up will not have signs, you won’t be out of place. The most important thing you can bring to a protest is yourself.

  • A lot of people will be taking pictures, and you can take pictures too. It’s considered polite to ask permission before taking a picture of someone’s face close-up. You can make it clear that you’re not filming anyone by holding your phone parallel to the ground so that your lens points directly down or directly up. Also, as mentioned previously: cops care about optics. They’d prefer not to get caught brutalizing people on camera. Filming cops discourages police violence. It’s a great thing to do.

  • Almost everyone at a protest like No Kings Day has one thing in common: they care enough about the issues to go outside on a Saturday about it. Don’t be scared to strike up conversations, ask for directions, or ask for what you need. The purpose of these protests is to stand up against the Trump regime, but it’s also to give each other hope. Some of the most uplifting and hopeful experiences of my life have occurred at protests. I hope you can experience something similar on Saturday

What To Expect If Things Get Messy

If the cops order people to disperse and you choose to stay:

• Cops usually escalate slowly. They will usually start out with flash-bangs, which make a horrible noise and emit a huge flash of light but cannot hurt you. When you hear that big boom, don't get skittish. Stand your ground.

• Sometimes, a line of cops will charge to push protesters back. This can be really scary. Definitely keep distance from them, as they can and will fuck you up if they catch you, but keep in mind that cops aren’t known for their cardio. Usually, these pushes last no more than about a city block. Stay calm, move back, and regroup.

• After flash-bang usually comes “less lethal” munitions like pellets or rubber bullets. These things hurt like hell and can absolutely damage you — I have a scar on my leg from a less-lethal round that I got in 2020. In rare cases, they can and have killed people. It’s WAY more likely that they’ll simply cause a hellacious bruise and you’ll have a good story. If you don’t want to risk it, stay away from the front.

• Cops will usually throw smoke before they throw tear gas. If the cops aren't wearing respirators, they probably aren't using tear gas. If you see cops putting on respirators, it's time to put that N-95 on and get ready to move.

• If you get tear gassed, it will feel like your eyeballs are melting out of your face and like you are going permanently blind. Snot will start pouring out of every orifice, you will feel sick, it will hurt like hell to breathe. Here’s the good news: you are not going blind, you can still breathe, and all these symptoms are temporary: you’re going to be OK. Shout “Medic!” until someone comes to get you. They’ll flush your eyes with water and you’ll feel better soon.

Don’t Panic

In all likelihood, most of tomorrow’s protests will be peaceful. LA will probably get messy. Chicago, NYC, Seattle, Philly, and other cities in Trump’s current crosshairs could get messy. But Trump doesn’t have troops in every city. ICE isn’t in every ciy. Odds are good that none of what I just listed will be a concern for you. It’s far more likely that you’ll spend a couple hours in beautiful summer weather and leave feeling energized and hopeful from the thousands of other people who protested alongside you.

Whoever you are, wherever you are, I hope you’ll consider standing against the brutality of the Trump administration tomorrow — even if it’s just for a few hours. If you met someone who lived in Germany during the 1930s, you’d be tempted to ask them what they did as the Nazis seized power. When we get similar questions in a few decades, I want to look those people dead in the eye and say: I wasn’t quiet. I stood up and said no, even when it scared me. I think you’ll want to do that too.