A lot of the times I feel like people are pantomiming protest - which is honestly good practice but let's not kid ourselves that anything that looks like a protest is affective.

Be mindful of people's energies, safety and morale. If you only have enough people to only block an intersection - keep it at that. If you are starting a march, for both accessibility and morale, name your objective: how far are you marching and what to expect.

Not every demo needs to pop off. And we can't replicate what happens in other cities, which have their own histories, demographics, internal and external politics - forces at play reacting against each other. Don't forget your context. We can't suddenly be PDX.

A protest is made up of:

- trust

Who is rallying the call? Why do people trust them? How many people can they turn up? Who ends up showing up? Why did they show up? What stops people from showing up? What guarantees you can rally the same numbers again?

- an objective (what's wrong?)

What needs to change? Who will it inspire/pressure/shame into action?

- demands (how to make it right)

The objective would be achieved once these demands are met. Be ready to educate or connect with both witnesses and protestors on what needs to happen outside the action to track progress on these demands.

- target(s)

Only a means to get demands met. These are symbols, locales, leaders, institutions or people that represent or embody obstacles to your objective.

- disruption

Simulates power. It also shows the popularity of an objective, the legitimacy of the demands, and the strength of trust within protestors.

- visibility

An audience is necessary. The more people that witness your demands and your power, the better. Make your will undeniable.

- timing

Is there an important decision happening soon? Did something just happen that will turn up more people? What's taking up most of the news cycle? Is another event (holiday, workday) taking place that affects protestor's attendance and witness's attention?

- information

Establish a consistent method of communication so targets, protestors and witnesses know where to find and follow-up on your demands, whether or not they have been met, and how they can help meet them.

Protests are conduit for anger, dissent. And work happens in it and outside of it. Remember that every movement towards an objective ebbs and flows, presenting different energies each day and night as our contexts change. Be ready and keep building relationships!!

I too want to return to that first week - where THOUSANDS were on the street. We were so fucking angry. And we left that anger with everyone who witnessed it. But that doesn't happen in a vacuum - it's highly contextual.