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My Protest Plans

This handy checklist can help you plan your next protest

Why do you protest?

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- Why do you want to demonstrate?
- What are the goals of the demonstration (media attention, getting a specific legislator’s attention, passing a bill, standing in solidarity, etc)?
- Who is the target of your action? A.k.a. who can give you what you want?
- How will you know you’ve succeeded?

Types of protests

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- What type of protest do you want to have? (Rally, march, strike, sit-in, boycott, etc.)
- How many people do you expect to participate?
- Is there a strategic reason to hold a type of demonstration?
- Is there a symbolic reason to hold a type of demonstration?

Who's invited?

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- Who is directly impacted by the issue you’re protesting for?
- Who will be your allies?
- What kinds of groups and organizations and individuals should you reach out to?
- Who will definitely come?
- Who do you need to engage?

Is there a strategic time and location?

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- Should it be in the morning or early afternoon to get the most media attention before press time for TV news stations?
- The evening or late at night?
- A 24-hour vigil or camp-out/sit-in?
- On a weekend or a workday?
- Do you want to coincide with a holiday like International Women’s Day or Refugees Rights Day or Labor Day?

Assign roles

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- Decision Maker(s) / Lead Organizer(s)
- Peace Keepers or Marshals
- Police Liaison
- MCs and Speakers
- Media Spokespersons
- Other Roles
You can use project management software like Trello to assign tasks and keep organized. Also, you may want to communicate privately with encrypted phone apps like Signal.

Spread the word

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- Flyering (Canva, Adobe Spark)
- Street teams
- Email lists (FreeLists)
- Blogs and websites (create a free website through Wix or Weebly)
- News calendars
- Press release (How to Create a Press Release)
- Tabling
- Door-to-door canvassing
- Announcements at meetings, church groups, community events, etc.
- PSA on public radio (PublicRadioFan.com)
- Text and call friends and supporters
- Make a promotional video and spread via social media
- Create an account on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook event and/or page
- Create a petition on Change.org
- Create a protest on PlanAProtest.org

Symbols and chants

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- What will your symbols and chants and slogans be?
- Will you have a common hashtag for the event?
- How will you make the event meaningful?

Permits and Laws, Civil Disobedience, and Safety Precautions

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- Get permits (if they are required)
- Review laws about protesting in your state
- Do you want to engage in civil disobedience? If so, assign people to observe from a legal distance and be on-call to post bail for them, provide support, etc. after the arrest (National Lawyers Guild).
- Do you want legal observers to monitor your protest? (NLG Legal Observers, CLDC Legal Observer, Find Your Local ACLU > Request Legal Observers)

Read more here:

https://planaprotest.org/planning-a-protest/

https://planaprotest.org/protest-laws/

https://planaprotest.org/protest-rights/