Protect Yourself and Others at Protests using Non-Violent Tactics

Indivisible and other pro-democracy coalition members adhere to a long tradition of non-violent protest. Gandi’s ideals, honed by the Civil Rights Movement, have grown into an important framework for all opposition movements. The ethos of non-violence is crucial to protecting each other, our right to protest, and growing our movement. Strategies of de-escalation and a foundational understanding of our rights are fundamental to creating a non-violent protest.

Indivisible’s Resources on Protest Conduct, Police Encounters, and Non-violence.

So how do we implement this value?  One way is to rehearse how we will conduct ourselves at protests.  Remember that at all times, the goal is non-violence.  Knowing your rights and what you should do will give you confidence to de-escalate or otherwise prevent violence from occurring.  

Please reread these guidelines before each protest you attend, and share with others new to the movement.

Know your Rights at Protests 

Right to Assemble: Public spaces (streets, sidewalks, parks) are protected for public demonstrations. You can legally photograph or video anything in plain view, including police actions.

Permits: You do not need a permit to protest on sidewalks or streets, provided you do not obstruct traffic. 

Non-engagement with Hostile Individuals: If approached by someone aggressive, avoid engaging and keep a safe distance. Notify an event marshal if necessary.

Protect Fellow Protesters

Ask before you livestream or video the event attendees on your personal social media pages – this material is more often being used to vilify protestors by policing agencies. Only livestream to document the police present at the event.

Taking photos of the event? Make sure to blur identifying features of attendees before posting to social media. (Even better, avoid faces in photo altogether)

Protect and support high-risk protestors – ensure that you are keeping protestors of BIPOC and high-risk groups centered within the main body of the protest to protect them from the police or ICE.

Documenting Violations: If you believe anyone’s rights were violated, record the details (officer badge numbers, witnesses, any injuries) and report them later to a civilian oversight body.

Police Encounters 

You have specific constitutional rights under Amendments 4,5 and 6.  These guidelines will help you preserve your constitutional rights, and stay safe.

If you are stopped by the police, be polite, remain calm, and ask if you are free to go. If the answer is yes, consider walking away. If the answer is no, you are being detained.

The police can conduct a pat-down search of you outside your clothing if they have reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed or that you are armed and dangerous. They can conduct a more extensive search of you and your belongings if they have probable cause to believe a crime has been committed or they receive your consent to perform the search. If the police begin to conduct a search without your consent, say clearly “I do not consent to this search.” If they search anyway, do not resist in any way.

If you are detained and/or arrested by the police, anything you say can be used against you. The safest course of action is to invoke your right to remain silent and request a lawyer. It is critical to remain silent after you invoke this right; if you begin speaking, your 5th and 6th amendment rights may be waived, and the police can begin questioning you again.

Lock your cell phone with a passcode, not a thumbprint or facial ID.

Media: In the event of a law enforcement incident, all media questions should be directed through the group’s designated press contact. Passing comments may distract from the key message of constitutional rights.

Dealing with Counter-protestors at the event

Remain Calm and Be Observant: Stay aware of your surroundings and avoid direct engagement with hostile individuals.

Maintain a Supportive Stance: Use calm, open body language. Maintain personal space and use neutral facial expressions and gestures.

Active Listening: Sometimes, letting a person vent can defuse a situation. Keep the focus on shared concerns rather than disagreements.

Give Your Legislators Daily Feedback

🤨 As frustrating as the deafening silence is from Congressional Republicans, the apparent capitulation from Democrats in Congress is even more maddening. Chuck Schumer made himself the face of Democratic cowardice by his refusal to put his foot down and shut down the government. Grassroots groups and enraged Democrats everywhere called for his resignation as Democratic Senate leader. Schumer recently invited further ridicule by offering a “strongly worded” letter in response to Trump’s attack on the Constitution through Harvard University. Schumer refuses to step down, but he has already ceded moral leadership of Senate Democrats, who also need to generate some fire of their own.

🔥🔥 Fortunately, an increasing number of Congressional Democrats are breathing fire through their activities, e.g.:

  • AOC and Bernie have been crisscrossing the country, holding events and calling for a mass resistance movement of millions. They call theirs the Fight Oligarchy Tour. 
  • Elizabeth Warren led a rally against DOGE in Austin and one in front of the Treasury Department to protest DOGE’s access to Americans’ sensitive personal information.
  • NJ Senator Cory Booker broke records in delivering the longest (25h) speech/filibuster in Senate history to protest Trump’s administration and DOGE.
  • Sen. Booker and NY Senator/House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a sit-in and discussion session on the Capitol steps that was live-streamed over social media. The duo called it “An Urgent Conversation with the American People,” explaining why the current budget bill is so bad for Americans.
  • MD Senator Chris Van Hollen flew down to San Salvador and met with his constituent Abrego Garcia, who is being unlawfully detained there. Photos from that meeting disprove Trump’s assertion that the M13 tattoo is on Garcia’s hands. The image appears to have been Photoshopped by someone in Trump’s camp to support Garcia’s illegal abduction and deportation. 

☎️ So where are your members of Congress, what have they been doing? And what should you do in response? You must do your job too! Use your phone to call your legislators:

👍 If you are in MA, call Warren and tell her you think she is doing a good job, keep it up, you’re with her, etc. Rewarding legislators for a job well done with a positive phone call is a major way to help them work toward your shared goals. Call them regularly to express your thanks and approval. 

👎 If your legislator’s still giving speeches to the choir, writing “strong” letters, and seeking to normalize the current chaos, what then?  CALL DAILY.  Give them your opinion. Tell them you expect them to be moving mountains to defend our Constitution and Democracy. Tell them that come election  time, they will be held accountable for their actions (or lack of). And mean it.

Hands Off Beverly

Saturdays | 11am – 12pm EDT

This a local WEEKLY Indivisible event! A peaceful protest in opposition to all things Trump! The first protest was on February 17 and was followed by weekly standouts ever since. A lively crowd of typically between 100-250 people with great music in the background. We obtain weekly permits and have at least two of our own marshals present at all times. They are there to make sure we don’t block sidewalks, bicycle lanes and parking spots. Also to keep us from walking into the street while the light is red. They can be identified by their yellow vests.

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De-escalation Training Video

One of our core principles is a commitment to nonviolent action. Wherever you are and whatever your level of concern, this training video is a great opportunity to learn best practices to consider for your event to help ensure it’s as safe and welcoming as possible for all attendees. By the end of the session, you will understand how to recognize escalating behavior, respond calmly, and defuse potential conflicts — whether with opposition groups, bystanders, or law enforcement — while staying aligned with your event goals.

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Defend Democracy! Fitchburg

Second Saturdays | Fitchburg City Hall

Join our “Second Saturdays” standouts as we gather at Fitchburg City Hall on the second Saturday of each month to support democracy and the rule of law – and to protest the policies of trump and musk and the men themselves. Signs are welcome, and there are always extra signs to borrow. Hope you can make it! Ample parking is available at 166 Boulder Drive if you’re unable to find parking on Main Street. Join our Facebook page – Indivisible Fitchburg MA – for updates and info on pop-up protests!

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FAQ Insurrection Act

Message from Ezra Levin, Co-Founder of Indivisible

At last week’s WTP, several of the top-voted questions were about Trump potentially invoking the Insurrection Act on or after April 20. Given widespread concern about the potential threat here, I wanted to give you my read.

Indivisible’s Chief Campaign Officer Sarah Dohl put together a good short explainer that I will flagrantly steal from here:

  1. What does it do? Invoking the Insurrection Act would allow Trump to deploy the military (including federalized National Guard) anywhere in the US. Trump may claim it’s to protect the border, but he could deploy these forces anywhere.
  2. Why April 20? On his first day in office, Trump directed the Department of Homeland Security to take 90 days to come up with a recommendation on whether he should invoke the Insurrection Act to solve the non-existent immigration crisis. 90 days after January 20 is April 20. It could come earlier, or it could never come.
  3. How bad could it get? We don’t know! Maybe Trump doesn’t invoke it at all — he didn’t in his first term. Or maybe he does, and he further militarizes the border. Or maybe he uses it to implement his promised nationwide deportation force and crack down on peaceful protest. Last week, his ICE Director described their vision of creating a deportation system “like [Amazon] Prime, but with human beings.” Maybe that’s mere bluster, or maybe that’s the plan. Nobody knows — which means we should neither freak out prematurely nor ignore the warning signs.

So what do we do about it? The courts are unlikely to save us here — the Insurrection Act gives fairly wide authorities to the President and the courts have historically been fairly deferential regarding those powers. This is more of a political question than a legal question: Does Trump look strong and decisive, and does his support grow by virtue of invoking the Act? As he militarizes the border and beyond, do his approval numbers increase? Does his coalition hold strong? Or is there widespread backlash, defiance, opposition, and ridicule? In the latter case, Trump may call it off and claim that was his plan all along.

Trump is a typical bully. He breaks norms and laws to see what he can get away with. If the opposition is weak, he steamrolls forward. If the opposition is strong, he slinks away and claims he was never interested in doing what he’d committed to do anyway.

It’s up to us. I’m sorry. I wish there was some neat trick to fix this. I wish there were some institution — businesses, media, law firms, universities, anything — that would save us. I wish congressional Republicans weren’t feckless cowards or collaborators or both. Hell, I wish I could finally watch the White Lotus season finale instead of reading up on the history of an obscure 1807 law. But here we all are.

As with so much in this era, it falls to the people to protect the republic. Organized people — like the 3 million people who showed up in boisterous, defiant, peaceful protests in every single state and multiple countries barely more than a week ago for Hands Off! That you’re reading this email tells me you’re interested in being an active part of this movement. That’s great news, because it’s going to take all of us. So read on for this week’s action items, feel free to hit me up on Bluesky, and please join for this week’s What’s the Plan call with me and Leah. Just please no White Lotus spoilers — someday I’ll get to watching that.

Indivisible Guidance
What to Do if Insurrection Act is Invoked

Susan Crawford Victorious in Hotly-Contested Battleground Race!

In a high-stakes race that shattered spending records, progressive candidate Susan Crawford emerged victorious in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, preserving the court’s 4-3 liberal majority. Crawford, a Dane County judge, defeated conservative Brad Schimel, who had significant backing from billionaires Elon Musk and Donald Trump.

Musk poured over $25 million into Schimel’s campaign, making the race the most expensive judicial election in U.S. history. He also campaigned personally in Wisconsin, hosting rallies and offering incentives like $100 for voters who signed petitions against “activist judges.” Despite Musk’s massive financial influence, the flood of cash was no match for the will of Wisconsin voters, and Crawford triumphed with 55% of the vote.

This race, particularly its record-breaking spending, underscores the growing influence of wealthy individuals like Musk in shaping U.S. politics. His high-profile involvement has reignited concerns about the outsized role of billionaires in American democracy—especially in judicial elections that should remain impartial and nonpartisan. The outcome also highlights the power of grassroots mobilization over moneyed interests.

Crawford’s win is a significant blow to Musk and Trump’s efforts to reshape the court in their favor. The result secures a liberal majority, which will likely influence key decisions on issues like abortion rights, labor protections, and even redistricting in the state. This victory is a hopeful sign for future electoral success, especially in battleground states like Wisconsin, where the stakes are high.

A huge thank you goes to everyone who wrote postcards, phone banked, and donated to Susan Crawford’s campaign. Your support was instrumental in making this victory possible. Together, we proved that when voters unite, we can overcome the influence of billionaires and take back our courts for the people.

Crawford’s victory signals a powerful message: voters are pushing back against the disproportionate influence of billionaires like Musk in our political system. As Crawford takes her seat in August, Wisconsin’s courts will continue to play a critical role in shaping the state’s future—and, by extension, the nation’s future.

AOC and Bernie’s Fight Oligarchy Tour

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders have stepped up to lead the opposition in their “Fight Oligarchy” tour.  Thousands of people (34,000 in Denver alone) have flocked to their rallies – eager to hear that someone will stand up for them.  They voice the anger we feel about Trump and Musk’s arbitrary and illegal cuts of our government programs such as Medicare and Social Security.  They voice the rage we feel about federal workers being abused and fired to hollow out the government agencies tasked with protecting our lives.  

Ocasio-Cortez has been villainized by the right, but Democrats love her.  AP News reports that “Ocasio-Cortez confronted head-on the perception that she is a radical by being magnanimous toward other Democratic factions. She did not walk away from her progressive views but signaled openness to disagreement, saying her movement “is not about partisan labels or purity tests,” but rather solidarity with the working class.

At each stop, she spoke supportively of local Democrats in Congress, even those who do not align with her ideologically.

“We need more people like them with the courage to brawl for the working class,” she said in Arizona, praising colleagues who voted against a Republican spending bill.”

Now Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders need to ask everyone to take the next step- organize!  Talk to your family, your friends, your neighbors, and your coworkers.  Have they taken action yet?  Real action, not just complaining on social media?  It’s time – get them out to a protest.  Show them these videos to encourage them.  Help us get to 9 million!

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