/r/50501 Mirror

The weird thing about protests is that you can spend the whole time almost alone in a crowd. You don't have to talk to anyone and aren't frequently asked to talk to anyone; they're kinda loud. If there's a 50501 peacekeeper they might ask you to move somewhere or avoid talking to a provocateur, but aside from confrontations with the law, that should be it. And you already know not to talk to cops beyond "Hello" and "I'm sorry but I can't talk right now." You don't even have to do chants or songs if you don't want to.

But yeah, they can be triggering experiences for those of us with social anxiety, but remember: you're there playing a very specific role. Your job is to get home safe and express your message, in that order. You can't help if you're in jail.

So anyway, tips.

1. Bring water and snacks you can eat.
2. Sunblock is essential.
3. A change of clothes may be important.
4. If your phone is on, assume cops are tracking it. If you need to bring it, turn off fingerprint and voice unlock and set a strong password. They can compel you to unlock via biometrics, but passwords are harder to get. If you're somewhat worried about that, turn it off for the protest. If you're really worried, leave it at home.
5. There is not a thing wrong with wearing a mask and the guy associating mask wearers with agitators is flat out wrong. By all means bring one. Neck gaiters can be quite comfy and help keep the sun off your neck. Most law enforcement are using face recognition tech; make them work for it.
6. Wear comfy shoes.
7. Don't engage with fascist operatives. They usually have media training and they're farming protests for content. Don't give it to them.
8. Don't bring weapons and keep an eye on the specific requirements of your venue. Some don't allow sign poles of certain dimensions or materials.
9. This is not a direct action, it's a peaceful protest. Let's keep it that way.
10. Don't talk to the cops. Polite greetings are fine, nothing else. No conversations.
11. Plan to take breaks. Protest movements are like a choir. You don't have to sing for the whole time; just do your part and rest when needed.
12. Look for moments of joy when you're there. Be inspired that so many people are with you. Allow yourself to feel your feelings and let them pass through you. This is a big thing you're doing. It's brave as fuck. Be proud and stand tall that when the time comes to say what you were doing in 2025, you'll have a good answer. You showed up.

If you get overwhelmed with stimulus in general headphones - maybe just in one ear - that don’t block outside noise but can play something familiar might help.

Just gives you something to focus on that IS comfortable when other aspects might not be. Music or meditation or podcast or whatever is familiar reassuring. Also battery backup.

I am interested in protest but not in violence so made a cloth sash that says “peaceful protest” on one side and “nonviolence” on the other. Just to help keep myself identifiable as someone who is not looking for a fight.

That really depends.on the level... Here's my advice, getting more extreme.

• Water, sunblock, hat.

• More water

• Pick up litter

• Find a good group to walk with or close to

• Don't hang with the radicals. You'll know them when you see them; their passion for the cause can get things out of control.

• The thicker the crowd you put yourself in, the harder it is to stay safe if something happens

• Have an exit plan and remember you can walk off whenever you want. Sometimes stopping for.a quick break or bite is nice.

That's like 90% of your protests. Now the more exciting ones...

• Avoid masked people or those with cloth over their mouth and nose. They got it on for a reason. Especially if there's lots of backpacks too. This is your early warning sign shit will probably get real.

• Keep a regular eye on Google Maps. It updates closed off streets and areas quite fast. You can get an idea of what you're walking into. It's easy to see where hot spots are on there if you're surrounded by buildings.

If I were more zoomed in, the grey patches are also labelled "busy areas" as all the protestor's phones with location services on show Google which areas are flooded.

• It always starts with people throwing shit. If people start throwing shit, get back from them, you don't want to be associated with that group.

• Black smoke = fuel burning (bins, barricade, petrol bombs). Oh, and petrol bombs you can't hear well, but usually you'll smell it in the air or spilled on the ground, plus the smoke. They're rarely aimed at anyone, mostly used to disrupt police lines and allow a surge.

• If your nose gets runny or face/eyes warm, that's tear gas on the wind. It's fine, it's just slightly annoying for a few hours but mostly unnoticeable. The closer you go, the worse it gets. Don't go near it unmasked, it lingers hard.

• If it's all going off and you want to stay around but not get involved, have your phone out and stay around the same distance as the media. There will be a lot of photographers that gets pretty deep in.

• if you're injured or overwhelmed, believe it or not, the police and NG are your friend. But you need to get out of danger zone first and find help away from the clashes, else they may still think you're part of the mob.

• If you hear gunfire faster than the tear gas (usually only one or two in quick succession "cannon" sounding bangs every few mins), then someone's firing a gun or the beanbags/rubber is out.