Packing For A Protest

In this article, we'll discuss what you should bring if you're planning to attend a protest. You should get things prepared for a day or two before the protest date, so when the time arrives, you're packed up and ready to go, without forgetting anything. Use a backpack to place your items in so everything is on your person, ready for use if the need arises.

• Long sleeve shirt or jacket and full length pants. This is to help conceal identifiers such as tattoos, birthmarks, scars or anything else which might give police a way to identify you. Whatever you wear, make sure it's just plain, no wording on the clothing. All-black is generally preferred by many veteran protesters, and the ideal choice to blend in with the crowd.

• Protective goggles and mask. Protective goggles should be lightweight as you'll be wearing them for hours, but in the event police start spraying protesters, these will help with keeping something like pepper spray or tear gas out of making direct contact with your eyes. They'll also help conceal eye color and eyebrows to make identifying you, harder. Wearing a surgical or respirator mask will not only help conceal features, but also reduce your chance of catching whatever infections are circulating. Many Anons prefer the common N95.

• Water (NON carbonated), snacks, wet wipes, earplugs, first aid supplies (a travel first aid kit will have bandaids, alcohol wipes, gauze etc), cash and change for transit as well as ID (only 1 piece of ID so if you lose your wallet, you still have other ID). If you have any severe allergies like to bee/wasp stings, you can bring an epipen. Also if you are Asthmatic, it's a good idea to bring an inhaler with you. This way if police use any tear gas or other respiratory irritants, you can cope with the repercussions. If you have enough backpack space, you can also bring a different shirt or other clothing items to change into as well as a plastic bag.

• Cell phone. Here is where you need to be careful, due to Stingrays. It's preferable to bring a burner phone if possible so that if there's damage, at least it's not your main phone that you always carry. Set your phone so that it's password enabled, but NOT fingerprint/facial recognition. You also need to make sure that you turn OFF all location apps. Just put it on airplane mode, turn off your data and make sure there's no apps on, which can track/record your location. Be cautious as well about taking pictures that might reveal your specific location at a certain time. If you're arrested and phone confiscated for evidence, police can match your location with a certain timeframe and you don't want that.

• Rather than a cell phone, you may want to consider using an old fashioned Two-Way or Amateur Radio for communications, and a Police Scanner for information gathering, as these types of devices are harder to track down to specific identities.

• Use a marker to write an emergency contact's phone number on you. In case that your phone is taken, or you end up in a predicament where you're unable to personally call, someone will be able to notify that contact.

You don't want to wear any jewelry or contact lenses. Jewelry can get snagged or pulled and result in injury or choking, so no necklaces or bracelets is best, and earrings should preferably just be studs or very small fitted hoops. If you HAVE any medical condition which you were medic alert jewelry for, aim for a bracelet over a necklace. You also really don't want to have any sharp objects on you that police can claim as a weapon, or any recreational drugs/medications that aren't absolutely needed.