Action 96 Prepare for More Protests
Friends, there are going to be more protests. Plan to show up to as many as possible! As we become more organized and effective, the Trump regime will try harder to silence us, so be prepared. Check out this video on Wired: https://www.wired.com/video/watch/incognito-mode-protestors- From the video:
“Here are a few simple and effective ways to protect yourself and your personal information at a protest. First, if you can, leave your phone at home, I know this might sound drastic, but the most effective way to ensure that your personal data isn't compromised and that your phone won't fall in the hands of law enforcement is by not having it with you. If that's not an option, you can put your phone in a Faraday bag so data can't be accessed. (Note: buyersguide.org has suggestions and ratings.)
You should also turn off biometrics on your device, like facial recognition or fingerprint scanner, meaning you'll need a code to access it. That way your face or fingerprints can't be forcefully used to access your personal information. You can always say you just don’t remember the code. Don't unlock it.
Another thing to keep in mind is posting on social media. Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst at the ACLU says, if you post something online, you should do so under the assumption that it might be viewed by law enforcement. You should always check your sharing settings and make sure you know what posts are public.
Try to minimize the amount of other people's faces you capture in your photos or videos, wear a mask in case photos or videos are taken. (Note: at the protest April 19 in Ellsworth a MAGA type was trying to disrupt the proceedings. As he was being escorted away, he was walking in circles snapping photos of faces in the crowd. Well, I also got a couple of excellent pictures of him, as well as the license plate on his truck. I plan to share this with the county sheriff, in case the dude causes more trouble in the future.)
Use end-to-end encrypted messaging services like Signal when possible. (Note: It’s a bit unnerving to see how freely people are distributing recognizable photos of protesters, even as they use carefully encrypted mail servers!
Suggestion: crop photos or blur faces before distributing, or take pics from behind the crowd.)
Finally, know your personal risks. Is your immigration status exposing you to additional dangers? Are you part of a minority group that is more likely to be targeted by law enforcement? Keep these things in mind for yourself and your loved ones when deciding if you should go out to a protest.”
The next organized protest is May 1, Thursday, MAYDAY, International Workers’ Day. Go to https://actionnetwork.org/event_campaigns/may-day-strong OR https://iamerica.org/may-day-2025-events/
OR https://www.activatemaine.com/calendar to find and post events. Many of them start after work, most involve marches. Over 21 states have events already scheduled, but only Kennebunk Maine on that day so far. (Appropriately, “Mayday" is an internationally recognized distress signal used by pilots to indicate imminent danger or a life-threatening emergency situation - dare we say for our democracy and rule of law?)
Hopefully we can keep the energy going! The situation reminds me of a funny story about a friend and her preschool son. On the second Monday, she woke him up to go to school. “School?” he said. “I did that already!!” Yes, we protested and marched already, but we need to get to that magic 3.5% of the population, or about 50,000 people in the streets of Maine. According to Activate Maine, on April 19 we had about 11,600 protesting. If each of us brings one more person next time, we’ll be almost halfway to the goal where change becomes inevitable.
Extra Credit:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190513-it-only-takes-35-of-people-to-change-the-world
https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/protesters-rights/
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/how-protest-safely
https://secretary.yale.edu/student-life/staying-safe-and-healthy-public-demonstration-or-march
https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoXPreppers/comments/1iehduo/some_preps_and_security_advice_for_safe/?rdt=64602