Protest a Government Official

When creating a presence to counter a government official it’s important to send a clear message. This is difficult because opposition to the official could be more than just policies, but the very system the official is apart of. That’s why it’s also important to have a clear plan to send this message.

Ingredients:

• A working group of 3+ people
• Advertisements/Posters
• Chant Sheets (optional)
• Handouts (optional but important to send a message)
• Signs/Banners
• Media correspondent (optional)
• Police correspondent
• 1 government official

Directions:

A government official coming through town is ALWAYS fickle. It’s important to be constantly aware of when and where they will be arriving/speaking/greeting. Preparing for weeks to counter the official only to arrive finding out that the time and location is wrong can be very embarrassing. When the group was planning to greet Debbie Stabenow because of her continued funding of the war, the plan failed because her office location had been moved

One of the best ways to send a clear message is by having a large presence opposed to the official. Creative posters, advertisements, and internet social network events are one of the best ways to accomplish this (usually a week or so prior to the protest). Another way to send a message is by utilizing handouts with statistics or statements supporting opposition to the official. During the anti-war march of last year people handed out different It’s also handy, depending on the situation and protest, to have a list of chants to pass out at the protest and/or noise makers and whistles to create more noise when people’s vocal chords are getting sore, this worked out very well during the Dick Cheney protest.

Besides creating a large presence it’s also important to be creative in utilizing signs or posters. Large banners with a clear statement, or many small signs with a clear statement all work really well (Hint: bed sheets work well for banners, and cardboard works well for signs) (Super Hint: Banners make a group look larger than they appear).

Depending on the group of people organizing and the official in question, the media can be a way to connect with other people and raise awareness on the issues at hand. The best way to do this is send out a press release. It’s also handy to have someone prepared to talk to the media in case they decide to show up. The person should be ready to have a main point to communicate to the media, a point synthesized by the working group. Just remember the media can be ally or a liability when trying to send a message.

(To learn more refer to Media how-to-guide)

Another person really vital to the protest is someone to communicate to the police; that is if they show up.

(To learn more refer to know your rights how-to guide)

Most importantly make sure the government official see you!

Note: This recipe isn’t foolproof it takes time and practice and sometimes unique ingredients to make it just right.