*This page will recieve periodic updates*
Hi everyone. At the request of the mods I’ve written an updated version of the page on how we can support the protests against police brutality and killing of Black people, and the larger movement to protect Black lives.
Since it seems like things might be escalating in a dangerous way (far right white supremacists are attacking and sometimes murdering protesters), it felt urgent to get this up. So I’ll be posting this while it still doesn’t contain all of the updates and new sources I want, and I’ll try to add a lot of those over the coming days.
If you have any suggestions for me of things that I should add, you can tag me @lysiuj:disqus.
Now… this is already a tense and difficult time for all of us, and even more so since these protests started. So I just want to make it clear, that I don’t intend this to be any kind of pressure to take action. This is meant to be a resource for those who want to help and are able to do so; if you can’t, for whatever reason, that’s nothing to be ashamed of.
1. Protesting – and staying safe while doing it
For those of you who want to participate in the protests, I’ll add some resources that may help you find where and when they are happening near you, and also about how to stay safe and be able to stand up for your rights.
I’ll just clarify, both for my own part and because we need this so the site doesn’t get into any legal trouble – I am only providing resources in support of peaceful protesting. I am in no way encouraging violence, rioting, or destruction of property.
Where and when there are protests
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This article contains some advice about ways to find protest near you.
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Stay safe at protests
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How to Protest Safely: What to Bring, What to Do, and What to Avoid
How to Stay as Safe as Possible While You Protest
Safe Protest Tips & Best Practices (primarily a guide by chemistry students on how to deal with hazardous materials, such as tear gas and pepper spray; article about the guide and the students)
Water on the Smoke The brilliantly simple Hong Kong method for fighting tear gas.
Protesters sharing tech tips to stay safe, avoid arrest amid U.S. unrest
Tips to stay healthy and prevent the spread of COVID-19 while protesting
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Know your rights while protesting or dealing with police
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ACLU guide to protesters’ rights
National Lawyers Guild Know Your Rights guide to dealing with law enforcement
You have the right to protest as an American. Here’s what that means
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2. Supporting the protests
Whether or not you participate in any protests yourself, you can also take additional action to support the protest movement.
Pressure your local elected officials, so that they get local police to stop brutalizing protesters and to prevent violence by far-right groups and individuals.
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Check the website of 8 Can’t Wait, who promote a series of 8 major police reforms nationwide, list the reforms passed or not passed in every city, and provide contact information for local officials so you can pressure them to pass additional reforms.
This page contains a guide on how to write a letter to your elected officials, and also contains further resources about contacting them at the bottom of the page.
Check to see if protesters near you are suing the city or the police department, as they have in Detroit, demanding that police stop brutalizing protesters. If there is such a lawsuit near you, you can support it by amplyfying it on social media.
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3. Other actions you can take
Here are some additional things you can do to support the causes of the protest movement.
Vote!
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Seriously, vote. We have to get the fascist party out of power, and elect people who will actually do things that help people and save lives, including major police reform. In most cases this means voting for a Democratic Party candidate – I know not everyone here is a fan of them but they are always the better option than Republicans.
Check I Will Vote to see if you’re registered to vote, and register if you aren’t.
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Support voting rights and programs of the Democratic Party
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Here are some more options to support the Democratic Party and to help protect voting rights.
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Support organizations for criminal justice reform and legislative reform
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Support organizations that are working towards major institutional reforms, and help spread their information and their policy proposals.
The Movement for Black Lives and their Vision for Black Lives platform
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More options for social action:
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How to Support the Struggle Against Police Brutality (by Claire Lampen)
100 ways you can take action against racism right now (by Sara M Moniuszko and Anika Reed)
What You Can Do to Demand Justice for George Floyd and Support Protesters (by Michelle Kim)
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4. Donations
If you can, please consider donating to one or more of the following organizations, including organizations which post bail for those who have been arrested, as well as movements for legal aid and social justice.
Update: More recent donation options
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Two options kindly pointed out by Girard:
A fundraiser to support the family of Jacob Blake, who was brutally shot by police and is now seriously injured and paralyzed from the waist down.
The Milwaukee Freedom Fund, which supports protesters in Milwaukee, where there are currently major protests going on.
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Lists of bail organizations and criminal justice reform organizations you can donate to
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Split a donation among 70+ bail organizations
To donate to a specific bail organization, here’s a long list of organizations in different places
List of organizations supported by Chicago Comunity Bond Fund
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Additional donation options and organizations you can support
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More donation options: 5 Organizations Worth Supporting Right Now
Donation options as well as reading recommendations on how to be a good ally: George Floyd Was Murdered. We Must Not Be Silent—Here’s How to Help (by Rachel Epstein)
For more expansive lists of recommended organizations to support in many places around the country (bail, legal aid, community outreach, criminal justice reform): Here’s Where You Can Donate to Help Protests Against Police Brutality (by Claire Shaffer)
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5. Fighting misinformation
As many of us know, there is a lot of misinformation in the news and social media, painting all the protesters as a violent and destructive mob and minimizing police brutality. So if you can, please consider sharing more accurate information to counter this, here and elsewhere.
New developments [Content Warning / Trigger Warning – descriptions and depictions of violence, brutality and killings]
[spoiler Title=Resources]
Updated 9.2.2020 – Dijon Kizzee, a Black man from Los Angeles, has been shot and killed by police. Police claim he was reaching for a gun, but eyewitnesses claim he had his hands up and was backing away when shot.
Updated 9.1.2020 – Detroit protesters file lawsuit over ‘brutal violence’ from police (By M.L. Elrick)
Conservatives try to blame the shooting on Blake, while not mentioning that he was unarmed when shot
Why police encouraged a teenager with a gun to patrol Kenosha’s streets
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Vast majority of protesting is peaceful, and protesters attempt to stop rioters and clean up damage
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What we’re missing when we condemn “violence” at protests (by Jason Johnson)
Photos: Moments of peace, unity you may not have seen in George Floyd protests
DC police chief says weekend George Floyd protests were ‘exclusively without violence’ (by William Cummings)
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Majority of violence at protests is by police and far right infiltrators
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De-escalation Keeps Protesters And Police Safer. Departments Respond With Force Anyway. (by Maggie Koerth and Jamiles Lartey)
Floyd protests renew debate about police use of armored vehicles, other military gear (by Andrew W. Lehren, Didi Martinez, Emmanuelle Saliba and Robert Windrem)
7 People Shot at Louisville Protest Over the Death of Breonna Taylor (by Mike Baker)
Right-Wing ‘Race War’ Wannabes Could Make Police Protests Go Nuclear (by Kelly Weill)
‘They want their civil war’: Far-right ‘boogaloo’ militants are embedded in the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis (by Jordan Green)
Protests about police brutality are met with wave of police brutality across US (by Adam Gabbatt) [Content warning / trigger warning – images and videos of violence and wounded people]
‘Nonlethal’ Anti-Protest Weapons Can Cause Serious Harm
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Many of the people who start violence and looting are unrelated to protesters and don’t listen to protesters’ calls to stop
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Allegations of Antifa inciting violence are fabricated
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Fabrication by neo-nazis – White Supremacist Group Identity Evropa Posed as Antifa on Twitter and Called For Looting and Violence (by David Gilbert)
White House deletes bogus brick video accusing Antifa of planning for riots (by Mike Moffitt)
The FBI Finds ‘No Intel Indicating Antifa Involvement’ in Sunday’s Violence (by Ken Klippenstein)
Armed white residents lined Idaho streets amid ‘antifa’ protest fears. The leftist incursion was an online myth. (by Isaac Stanley-Becker and Tony Romm)
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Evidence of police brutality and infringement on rights
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Cops intimidate and attack owner of LGBTQ bar for offering first aid to protesters
Testimony of mass arrests and mass incarceration with no clear cause
BBC Report – Videos of police brutality during protests shock US
Reddit group formed to collect evidence of police brutality during the protests
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That’s what I have so far. Like I said above, if you have suggestions tag me and I’d love to hear them.
Let’s all stay safe. We have a lot of work to do.