Facing the Street: Protester Safety and Ethical Resistance
Guidance from the field: staying safe, ethical, and effective at protests.
🔧 Torchlight Praxis — Tools you can carry
Freedom is a practice — and so is safety.
Introduction
This guidance draws on proven expertise from leading civil liberties, digital security, and protest-safety organizations—including the National Lawyers Guild, ACLU, EFF, Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, and Beautiful Trouble. It is also shaped by the lived experience of countless organizers, legal observers, and community medics.
But it also draws on an ethical framework that matters now more than ever:
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
—James Baldwin
Our presence at a protest should not be a spectacle. It should not be performance. It must be a deliberate, visible act of resistance grounded in a larger practice—a commitment to act beyond the streets: in mutual aid, education, civic action, narrative defense, and everyday courage. Otherwise, public protest risks becoming an empty gesture—or worse, a dangerous provocation that others will exploit.
In today’s landscape—where federal troops and law enforcement are already deployed in Los Angeles and elsewhere, and where the government has floated the use of the Insurrection Act to declare martial law if violence escalates—every act of protest must be grounded in a clear understanding of risks, ethics, and purpose.
This guide will help.
🛠️ Before You Go
Plan your role.
Know why you’re attending.
Go with a trusted group.
Assign buddies and a check-in contact (someone not at the protest).
Pack smart.
✅ Water & snacks
✅ ID (if safe), cash
✅ Basic first aid supplies
✅ Face mask, protective eyewear
✅ Emergency contact written on paper
✅ The phone number of an attorney or legal aid group
✅ Phone with location & biometrics disabled
✅ Faraday bag (optional, but useful)
❎ Do not bring drugs or anything illegal
Dress for safety.
No identifiable clothing or slogans unless planned.
Cover tattoos or other distinguishing marks.
Wear comfortable, solid shoes (you may need to move fast).
Prepare your phone.
Fully charge it.
Disable fingerprint/face unlock.
Enable airplane mode when necessary.
Use Signal or another fully encrypted app for messaging.
📢 During the Protest
Stay situationally aware.
Watch for changes in crowd behavior and police posture.
Identify exit routes early — know your way out.
Stick with your group.
Affinity Groups: If possible, attend with a small, trusted affinity group—a prepared team that coordinates in advance, watches out for each other, and ensures no one is left behind.
Assign a buddy, and stay with your buddy or team at all times.
Agree on clear signals for regrouping, exiting, danger, and help.
When in tightly packed crowds, stay connected physically—walk in a line with your hand placed on the shoulder of the person in front of you.
Interact with police cautiously or not at all.
Remain silent.
Do not consent to a search.
If detained, state: “I do not consent to a search. I want to remain silent. I want a lawyer.” Then, be quiet. Stay quiet. Even if your rights are violated.
Document wisely.
If safe, record misconduct—but don’t endanger others.
If filming, avoid making it easy to identify peaceful protesters.
Take care of yourself.
Drink water.
Breathe.
Don’t hyperextend — choose actions you can sustain.
💻 Digital & Surveillance Safety
Turn off location tracking.
Use encrypted apps (Signal).
Do not auto-upload photos or videos.
Avoid posting real-time location updates.
If arrested, phones can be searched — plan accordingly.
🛡️ Faraday Bags: Extra Layer of Digital Safety
Faraday bags are tools that can help limit surveillance risks by blocking wireless signals (cellular, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) when a device is sealed inside.
Using a Faraday bag is not required—but for some activists, it adds an extra layer of security.
Why use one?
Limits the ability of tracking tools (such as fake cell towers or device sniffers) to monitor your location or movements.
Helps prevent certain types of device-based surveillance if stopped or arrested.
Provides peace of mind during travel to and from protest zones.
When to use one:
While traveling to/from a protest location
If moving through areas with high surveillance presence
If crossing checkpoints or sensitive locations
If you wish to secure your device after an action
How to use one:
Power off your device before placing it inside.
Place device inside the Faraday bag and seal it fully.
Keep the bag sealed until you are ready to reconnect in a safe location.
Important notes:
Not all Faraday bags are equally effective—seek bags tested for 4G/5G blocking.
Devices in Faraday bags are fully offline—use with intention.
Where to get one:
Vendors such as Silent Pocket, Mission Darkness, and others provide field-tested options.
Choose a vendor with documented product testing for signal shielding.
🌎 Special Considerations for Immigrants & Migrants
If you are undocumented, hold temporary status, or have family members who do:
Protests can increase the risk of exposure to immigration enforcement. Given the current climate, the risk is elevated. Be aware and prepare thoughtfully.
Before attending:
Consult with a trusted immigration lawyer or support organization.
Understand the specific risks to yourself and your family.
Have a clear emergency contact and legal plan.
Avoid carrying documents that could reveal your immigration status unless absolutely necessary.
If approached or detained:
You have the right to remain silent.
You do not have to answer questions about your birthplace, citizenship, or how you entered the country.
You do not have to sign anything without legal counsel.
Carry a Know Your Rights card (available from the ACLU and NILC).
Important resources:
ACLU Know Your Rights: Immigrants’ Rights
National Immigration Law Center — excellent guides and hotline resources
United We Dream — community-based networks and rapid response teams
See, Key Resources, below. Torch & Tinder Press draws on the guidance of these organizations in offering this advice.
🧩 Personal Risk & Ethical Responsibility
Assessing Your Personal Risk Tolerance
Legal risks: Arrest, fines, detention—even for non-violent civil disobedience.
Physical risks: Injuries from crowd pressure, police crowd control tools, environmental exposure.
Digital risks: Surveillance, data collection, possible device confiscation.
Psychological risks: Trauma from conflict or arrest, public exposure, community tensions.
Ask yourself:
Which of my values call me to accept these risks today? What are my responsibilities afterward—to my family, friends, community, or organization?
If You Are Detained or Arrested
Stay calm and cooperative.
Clearly state: “I want to remain silent and speak to a lawyer.”
Provide only your name and contact info; do not answer questions about beliefs, affiliations, or actions.
Do not consent to a search.
Note names, badge numbers, and circumstances—write them down as soon as possible.
Contact legal support via NLG, ACLU, or your bail fund.
Document the experience and seek support after release.
Do Not Become The Mob—Why Using Violence Hurts Us More
Any act of violence—even reactive—can be seized upon to justify escalated repression.
The U.S. government has explicitly threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would allow federal troops to enforce martial law if protests are framed as insurrectionary.
Violent acts—even by a few individuals—can be used to criminalize entire communities.
Do not hand autocrats the excuse they seek.
Our strength is in strategic, disciplined, nonviolent resistance.
🩹 If Things Escalate
Immediately get out of harm’s way.
Tear gas:
Do not rub eyes.
Blink rapidly.
Use water, not oil-based liquids, for rinsing.
Move to fresh air.
Pepper spray:
Rinse eyes with lots of water.
Do not apply lotions or oils.
Rubber bullets / blunt force:
Seek medical help immediately for serious injury.
For minor injuries, rest, ice, compress, elevate (RICE).
Arrest:
Stay calm.
Stay quiet. Give only your name.
Do not answer questions without a lawyer.
✊ After the Protest
Check in with your buddy and everyone in your group.
Debrief with your group.
Document any incidents—factual notes only. Make copies of any footage, photos, audio recordings or anything else taken at the protest.
Connect with legal support if needed (NLG, ACLU).
Rest and recover—sustaining resistance requires care.
🗺️ Key Resources
National Lawyers Guild (NLG)
Protester legal rights
Protester rights & legal support
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
Digital security & surveillance defense
First aid & protest safety
Creative protest tactics & team safety
National Immigration Law Center (NILC)
Immigrant rights & legal guidance
Immigrant-led organizing & rapid response
Freedom is a Practice. Resistance is an Ecosystem.
Protesting safely is a critical part of both.
You don’t have to do everything—but you can do something.
Stay safe. Stay grounded. Stay connected. Stay nonviolent.
Do not hand them the excuse they seek.
You are the signal. Keep your torchlight burning.
Attribution
Parts of this guidance build on best practices and public resources shared by:
ACLU, National Lawyers Guild, Electronic Frontier Foundation, National Immigration Law Center, Beautiful Trouble, and United We Dream.
Torch & Tinder Press honors and acknowledges the foundational work of these organizations.You are the signal.
Keep your torchlight burning.
Explore more from Torch & Tinder Press
📣 Signal Dispatch — Signals from the field
🔧 Torchlight Praxis — Tools you can carry (you’re here)
🔥 Embers — Warmth for the long winter
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