CLOTHING
- Should be protective and durable, light weight (to allow for great mobility),
and tight fitting while covering the entire body (to protect from tear gas).
- Fuzzy garments can (and will) trap teargas and become longterm irritant-dispersal
agents. Wear fleece and sweaters UNDER a protective layer or you may have to
throw away some of your most valuable garments - Bring extras of everything,
kept dry in your backpack. Dress for the weather: rain possible. Heavy duty
glove to handle hot tear gas canisters. Comfortable boots/shoes you can run
like hell in Ski mask/balaclava, hooded jacket Dark clothing and/or costumes,
as well as casual business attire may be useful. Bike or motorcycle helmets
to protect yourself Men - jock strap or protective cup; Women - sports bra Eyeglasses
with a strap (contact lenses are not recommended, they can trap pepper spray)
NO earrings, piercings, necklaces, ties, etc. that can be grabbed.
Clinch/seal at wrists, ankles & neck. Windbreaker, light rain gear, also
for changing colour if you need to disappear. Replacement pants/shirt sealed
in bag.
OTHER
The most important thing you can bring to a large demonstration is an affinity
group. Having someone to watch your back can make a tot of difference.
- WATER - LOTS to drink and rinse off chemicals.
- RESCUE REMEDY from Health Food store - 4 drops per quart of water.
- Energy snacks
- Witnessing equipment such as video and still cameras are a plus.
- If you have your own communications equipment BRING IT! this includes scanners,
radios, and CELL PHONES.
- Maps
- road maps, topographicals, and train maps.
- Bicycles are a plus
- Insulated mug and your own dishes
- Drums (waterproof), instruments and whistle/noisemakers
- All purpose tool- bottle/can opener, screwdriver, awl/cork screw, tweezers
(Leatherman recommended)
- Pens and note paper
- Tools for mischief, agit-prop, banners and extra fabric and clothing to share.
An excerpt re-printed from "Fight the Man, and Get Away Safely"
The objectives of the cops are:
1)To break the spirit of the crowd by intimidating and breaking up the crowd
into "manageable portions.
2)To provoke violence to justify their own actions and to pick our "leaders".
3)Stop the trouble from spreading by surrounding the crowd.
4)Gather evidence for later.
The aims of the protester (is not to "win", but to be unhurt and
still free.):
1)You and your friends get away safely rather than fighting.
2)Cause embarrassment and economic damage to your original target, rather than
fighting (your original target shouldn't be the cops).
3)Helping others by administering first aid and de-arresting, rather than fighting.
Basic Police Choreography
With any crowd, the police will try to break it up. They will try to disperse
crowds using baton line charges, horse charges, vehicles, gases and rubber/wooden
bullets. The dance steps will include one or more of the following:
1) Cops in lines will surround you.
2) Either form the middle or one side, cop lines will force everyone onto the
sidewalk trying to create "spectators" and "actors" out
of the crowd.
3) Baton/horselgas attacks to lower moral.
4) Loud speaker, concussion grenades, or bright lights if at night to disorient
the crowd.
5) Line charges will slowly push the crowd down the street to where they want
you (rush of cops - fall back - strengthen line - repeat).
Stop the lines from formingl!
Surrounding you, preventing you from going where you want to go, and pushing
you down the street to where they want you to go, all require the police to
be in a tight line. It is important to prevent the first lines from forming.
If the crowd seems volatile, they will hold back and form their lines a distance
away. But if the crowd is hanging around looking confused and passive they will
sneak in and form the lines amongst you.
- Don't stand and watch them. Keep moving.
- Don't look like you'll let them anywhere near you.
- Spot gaps in the crowd and fill them Stick together!
- Figure out where they want to go and get their first.
- Get long tarp banners to the front to stop them from advancing or breaking
the crowd.
- Protect your escape routes by standing in front of them.
- Get those people who into "spectators back into the crowd and moving
around.
Now they may just charge and start arresting. At least you are in a stronger position to deal and your escape routes are secured. Whatever happens next, don't stand there waiting for it. Keep moving and act defensively.
Snatch Squads
The police will often want to isolate and arrest individuals out of a crowd.
Groups of cops will surround a person, and half of them will arrest while half
will stand in front of them and hit anyone who gets in their way. Once they
have the person, helshe will be taken away behind police lines.
1) Keep the crowd moving together. 2) Spot the squad forming and approaching. 3) If their is a target person, get him/her the hell out of there! 4) Link arms in an impenetrable in the squad's path. 5) Surround the squad once in the crowd to intimidate them. 6) If you do get grabbed and pressure pointed, keep you head and arms moving. Don't fight them if you can help it or you might be faced with assault charges too.
De-Arresting
The best time to do this is as soon as the snatch has happened. You need a group
of people who know how to break grips and some people to act as blocks. Once
you have your person back, all link arms and disappear into the crowd. The police
may try to snatch back or arrest one of the de-arrestors. Bear in mind that
the de-arrestor may end up with heavier charges than the original arrestee if
caught.
Keep in mind that although the police are trained to fight and deal with you, they are just doing their job and following orders (usually!). Watch for their weak points and times that they are vulnerable, such as during shift changes or while they are waiting for the order from above.
References
Do or Die Editorial Collective. Do or Die No. 7 Voices from Earth First! POB
2971 Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 2TT, UK. An Unaccountable Clique EF! production.
Handbook one the Medical Aspects of NBC Defensive Operations FM 8-9 http://www.nbcmed.org/SiteContent/MedRef/0nlineRef/FieldManuals/amedp6/PART_III/index.htm
Headquarters, Department of the Army. Nov. 1985. FM 19-15 Civil Disturbances
Hoffman, Abbie. 1996. steal this book. Four Walls Eight Windows
Mitretek Systems- TEAR GASES http://www.mitretek.org/mission/envene/Chemical /other military chemicals/tear gases.html
Tear Gas, with an Emphasis on Self Defense by Dan Field, 1996http://www.calpoly.edu/~drjones/chemwar.html
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