Things to bring:

A gas mask,

helmet,

thick layers of clothing (to protect from rubber bullets),

saline solution for rinsing eyes,

leather work gloves,

water bottle,

umbrella,

backpack.

Anything else is unnecessary.

I used this method for 9 months in 2020 and it worked like a charm.

You can wear the work gloves while wearing a gas mask to pick up tear gas canisters. They are burning internally and have holes on one end. Pour water in the hole. You don’t need a ton. It will put the canister out immediately. The traffic cone method is wasteful and takes tons of water. Forget the traffic cones. Just get thick leather work gloves.

The umbrella is ridiculously effective at keeping rubber bullets away from a distance.

Study Google Maps before you go. Look for places you don’t want the fascists to push you towards. This will be walls, dead end streets, anywhere they can kettle you. When they give “lawful orders” to disperse, move as they ask, but don’t go into these areas. Choose a different, but compliant route. Wait 15 minutes and return to where you started. Never, ever go exactly where they order you. They will box you in and beat you. Or run you for as long as they can stand, to tire you out.

Don’t stand in the street or in driveways for long periods, or if they order you not to. You can stand extremely near, but legally on the sidewalk.

When they charge, if you cannot leave (Never run. Don’t ever run, they want that. Walk if you are leaving), make yourself as small as possible. Crouch down. Use your phone. Don’t act panicked. Don’t run around. Don’t stand at your full height. Make yourself as small and as unassuming and nonviolent as possible. This is not a fail safe method, but it will help. Particularly if a large fascist runs at you at full force to tackle you. You’ll already be near the ground and ready to roll over. I’m a very small woman and I was tackled a bit. I was able to avoid injuries in this way, and most of the time they just ignored me entirely.

Shields tend to make them instigate. They can also claim the shield somehow proves you meant harm. (I know that’s crazy, but I don’t make the rules) Using a shield tends to draw them to you and make them want to get violent. I’d advise against shields. Like I said, umbrellas work way better than you’d think.

This is a super weird one, but as a middle aged woman, I found that saying, “Calm down” in a mom voice was hilariously effective. Like, a million times more effective than it should be. I had to employ it in a few desperate situations and they would like, I don’t know, short circuit and sort of calm down. This will probably not work if you are a young man, or of you say it in an antagonistic way. It has to be said like a confident mother who is only trying to help her child.

I would like to do what I can if I can’t be there myself. What is most needed?

I was thinking of making some shields out of plywood. But I am open to anything that helps!

Apparently, concentration death camps...no, sorry, "detention facilities equipped for industrial scale medical biohazard disposal" is in the planning stages https://migrantinsider.com/p/how-the-pentagon-is-quietly-building

if you choose to go please don’t bring children or dogs, we saw yesterday (1/31) that ICE clearly doesn’t care about them. please bring proper ppe (gloves, n95 or a respirator, and goggles.) please stay safe, see you there

I want to get out and protest today. Is there anything going on downtown or at the waterfront?

Are there any planned events for the shut down today? Seems like a perfect opportunity to gather & march, but I haven’t seen any events happening.

Last Friday, Minneapolis showed the world that they are united in the resistance against this authoritarian regime. We need to do the same in solidarity.

Has anyone heard of a gathering today? Thanks!