A Community Guide to: Informed Protesting
Public demonstrations are a vital form of civic expression, enabling communities to take collective action and push for change. This guide is designed to support informed, safety-conscious participation by offering general context, preparedness considerations, de-escalation strategies and harm-reduction information for those choosing to attend protests or marches in their communities. It covers what to know before attending a protest, how to prepare for and respond to crowd-control measures that may be present, and how to prioritize personal and community safety in high-stress situations. The goal is not to escalate conflict, but to help people make informed decisions, remain aware of their surroundings, and care for themselves and others throughout the experience.
Everyone’s circumstances and comfort levels are different, and participation is always a personal choice. By sharing this information, we aim to support informed protesting rooted in safety, dignity, and collective care.
De-escalation Strategies
De-escalation is about reducing tension, minimizing harm, and helping protesters, bystanders, and observers move through high-stress situations more safely. These techniques focus on awareness, communication, and collective care rather than confrontation.
Stay Aware of Your Surroundings
Continuously scan the area for changes in crowd mood, movement, or energy. Crowd awareness is key for safety.
Notice bottlenecks, exits, medics/first aid areas, and quieter areas.
Trust your instincts. If a situation feels like it’s escalating, it’s okay to step back or leave. Listen to those in your group. If they need to leave, do not pressure them into staying.
Regulate Your Body and Voice
Keep your voice calm and steady; avoid yelling at others unless necessary for safety.
Slow your breathing if you feel overwhelmed. Controlled breathing helps reduce panic responses.
Relax your shoulders and hands; non-threatening body language can lower tension around you.
Avoid Escalation Triggers
Do not engage in taunts, insults, or arguments with individuals who appear agitated. Walk away.
Avoid sudden movements toward authority lines or tense areas. Move your body calmly. Make every action intentional.
Refrain from throwing objects or reacting impulsively to provocation. Remaining calm is an asset.
Use Distance as a Tool
Physical space is often one of the most effective de-escalation tools.
If a situation becomes escalated, calmly create distance between yourself and the point of escalation. There may be multiple points of escalation, so don’t hyper-fixate your attention.
Move With, Not Against, the Crowd
Follow the natural flow of movement when possible.
Avoid resisting crowd motion, which can increase stress and risk of injury.
Know When to Leave
Leaving early is a valid safety choice.
If de-escalation efforts aren’t working or the environment feels unsafe, always prioritize your well-being and safety.
Plan exit routes ahead of time so leaving doesn’t feel rushed or chaotic.
If you need to exit, do so calmly. Exit when your body tells you that you need to. Do not remain in an escalated setting if you don’t feel level-headed. You can always reset and join in again later.
Attend protests with a familiar face when possible and check in with one another regularly. Designate a meet up location in case you get separated from your group and lose your contact method.
Remember: De-escalation is not about silence or compliance. Instead, it’s about protecting people, preserving dignity, and reducing harm in moments of heightened tension.
Preparing for Tear Gas and How to Respond in the Aftermath
Tear gas is known to be used as a crowd-control measure and can cause intense irritation to the eyes, skin, and respiratory system. Understanding how to prepare and how to respond if you are exposed can help reduce harm and support quicker recovery.
Before You Go: Preparation Considerations
Know your sensitivities: Certain medical conditions (asthma, respiratory conditions, or sensitivities to chemical irritants) can make you susceptible to worse reactions to tear gas. Conduct the research beforehand if you believe you’ll be in a situation where tear gas may be used. Use the information you find when deciding whether to attend.
Dress thoughtfully: Long sleeves, long pants, and closed-toe shoes can reduce skin exposure. Avoid oils, lotions, or makeup, which can cause irritants to stick to the skin.
Protect your eyes: Glasses or shatter-resistant goggles can help limit eye irritation. If avoidable, choose to not wear contact lenses due to their ability to trap irritants underneath themselves and against your eye.
Bring water: Clean water can be useful for flushing eyes or skin after exposure.
Plan exits: Identify multiple ways to leave the area calmly if conditions change.
If Tear Gas Is Deployed
Stay calm and move away: Tear gas is most concentrated near where it is released. Move away from the source and toward higher ground or open, well-ventilated areas if possible. Most forms of tear gas are heavy and will have denser concentrations towards the ground. Stay calm and walk away. Running and/or panicking increases heavy breathing, which puts you at risk to fill your lungs with more of the irritant. Short, shallow breaths through the nose can help reduce coughing and panic.
Do not rub your eyes or face: Rubbing can increase irritation and spread residue.
After Exposure: What to Do
Flush eyes and skin with clean water: Blink normally while rinsing to help clear irritants. Avoid using contaminated water. Try your best to find a clean water source if you do not have access to one. Trying to substitute water with baby wipes or makeup wipes may cause unnecessary irritation.
Change clothing as soon as possible: Tear gas residue can linger on fabric. Place affected clothing in a sealed bag until it can be washed. Take your shoes off outside of your home in an effort to minimize residual powder in your home. Do not mix contaminated clothes with normal clothes while washing. Residual powder can be active for up to five days after being released from the canister.
Wash skin gently: Take a cold shower as soon as you can for at least 20 minutes. Make sure to use mild soap and cold water. Avoid scrubbing, which can worsen irritation. Try your hardest to keep your eyes closed to limit exposure to more irritants as they remove from your skin. Residual powder can be difficult to remove from your hair, so provide extra attention to cleaning your hair.
Rest and monitor symptoms: Coughing, burning, and tearing usually subside, but seek medical attention if symptoms involve severe breathing difficulty or persist or worsen more than 30 minutes after clearing the irritant off your skin.
The point of preparing for tear gas is not about expecting harm; it’s about understanding potential risks and knowing how to care for yourself and others if exposure occurs.
Preparing for Flash Bangs and How to Respond in the Aftermath
Flash bangs (also called stun devices) have been known to be used as crowd-control tools. They are designed to produce a sudden bright flash and loud noise. These effects can be disorienting and stressful, particularly in crowded environments. Understanding potential impacts and how to respond afterward can help reduce harm and support recovery.
Before You Go: Preparation Considerations
Protect your hearing when possible: Earplugs or noise-reducing ear protection can help reduce the impact of sudden loud sounds. However, use these responsibly to ensure you are still able to be aware of your surroundings.
Be mindful of sensory sensitivities: Flash bangs may be especially difficult for people with PTSD, migraines, neurological conditions, or sensory processing sensitivities. If you have any of these sensitivities, conduct research to determine if attending an event where flash bangs may be used as crowd control is the right decision for you.
Stay aware of surroundings: Knowing where exits, open spaces, and quieter areas are located can help you move to safety if needed. If disorientation occurs, having a mental map of the area around you may help reduce panic.
If a Flash Bang Is Deployed
Protect your ears and eyes: Covering your ears and turning your face away can help reduce immediate sensory impact.
Pause and orient yourself: Sudden noise and light can be disorienting. Take a moment to regain balance before moving. Try your hardest to make it to a safe and quiet space before sitting down if you need to rest, as it is not safe to remain on the ground in a crowd of disoriented people. Move away from the area as calmly as possible, asking others for physical support if needed.
After Exposure: What to Do
Give yourself time to recover: Ringing in the ears, dizziness, or confusion may take time to fade. DO your best to find a safe place to recover if effects are lingering.
Sit or lean on something stable if needed: Regaining balance is important before moving on.
Check for injuries: Loud blasts and crowd reactions can result in falls or collisions. If you have injuries, try to find access to a medic or first aid kit. If you are actively bleeding, have someone nearby assist you with grabbing from a first aid kit in an effort to not contaminate the supplies.
Seek medical attention if side effects do not subside: Persistent hearing issues, severe dizziness, confusion, or pain should be evaluated by a medical professional.
Preparing for flash bangs is about awareness and care. Being informed on how to respond can help reduce panic and support safety for yourself and others.
Preparing for Rubber Bullets
Rubber bullets (or similar impact projectiles) are sometimes used as crowd-control measures. While often described as “less-lethal,” they can still cause serious injury to members of the crowd. Understanding potential risks and how to respond if you or others are impacted can help reduce harm and support timely care.
Safety note: Because less-lethal launchers can closely resemble firearms, it’s safest to assume any raised weapon pointed at you poses serious risk. Respond by slowly creating distance and remaining calm in both body language and voice. Do not impulsively reach into jacket pockets to grab a recording device or any personal identification. Get consent before making any physical movement that could be portrayed as threatening. If you see others in this position and are removed enough to safely do so, use a device to record the interaction for them.
Before You Go: Preparation Considerations
Understand the risks: Rubber bullets can cause bruising, fractures, internal injuries, and trauma to the eyes or head.
Wear protective clothing if the weather allows: Wear thick, layered clothing and sturdy footwear. These may help reduce injury from rubber bullet impact or falls due to impact/panic.
Maintain situational awareness: Remain knowledgable about exits and quieter areas. This can help you move away if conditions escalate.
Attend with others if possible: A designated support person can help ensure someone can assist or seek help for you if an injury occurs.
If Impact Projectiles Are Used
Create distance calmly: Calmly move away from the area where projectiles are being used. Avoid sudden or panicked movement as you exit the area.
Avoid turning your back in chaos: Always stay aware of footing and crowd movement to reduce risk of a crowd-related injury.
Do not rush injured people unless necessary: Moving someone with a serious injury incorrectly can cause additional harm or unnecessary panic.
Preparing for the possibility of impact projectiles is about understanding risk and prioritizing care, not anticipating or encouraging confrontation. Our hope is that no crowd control methods will be utilized due to a lack of necessity. However, if they are utilized, our top priority if making sure your community is informed in the best way to stay safe in the situation you’re in.
Supporting Others and What to Bring
Preparing thoughtfully can help reduce risk and enable you to respond calmly if conditions change unexpectedly. The goal is not to escalate situations, but to protect your health, support others, and maintain awareness.
Support Your Community Members
Respect accessibility needs—Please recognize that your needs may be different than others’. Make room for those who need space or assistance.
Do not intentionally seek out escalated areas—prioritize safety over argument. Unnecessarily escalating a situation not only makes it more dangerous for you, but it also makes it more dangerous for those around you.
Share information calmly. Aim to spread reassurance quickly, not panic. Help calm people who appear overwhelmed, injured, or disoriented while assisting them to safety.
Check on individuals who are disoriented if you are unaffected by any activated crowd control measures. If they appear to accidentally be increasing their exposure/irritation, calmly inform them about best practices. Focus on not spreading fear. Making an effort to have clear communication can help reduce stress and chaos.
Speak calmly and clearly when offering help. If you feel stable, you can offer physical support to people experiencing dizziness and disorientation. Always make sure to ask for the individuals consent before physically helping them. Some individuals may not want help, and some individuals may have panicked, physical responses to being touched without prompting. If someone does not want physical help, offer emotional support by waiting with them and walking near them to the closest safe space. Not wanting to be touched does not mean they want to be fully abandoned in that moment.
Stay with injured individuals if it is safe to do so until they are calm or until their support person arrives.
Help clear a safe space and calmly communicate needs to medics or responders or support individuals.
Offer reassurance to reduce panic. By remaining calm, you can help reduce shock and distress.
Watch for a possible concussions: Have the person rest and stay still if a concussion is suspected. If safe to do so, gather pertinent information (such as their name, emergency contact, known medical conditions, or allergies) in case they lose consciousness. Encourage them to seek urgent care if they show confusion, worsening headache, vomiting, dizziness, or lose consciousness.
What to Consider Bringing
Water (pack generously) and light snacks
Closed-toed shoes suitable for walking and standing for long periods
Weather-appropriate clothing, including layers in case the weather changes. If temperatures will be low, use hand and foot warmers and pack extras as available.
Protective items: Eye protection (shatter-resistant goggles if available), face coverings, masks, etc.
Basic first aid supplies: bandages, antiseptic wipes, gloves, and any personal medications that you may need (inhaler’s, epipens, etc.)
Ear protection (earplugs or noise-reducing headphones) - aim for noise reduction, not noise elimination. The main way to stay safe is to enable yourself to be constantly aware of your surroundings.
Fully charged phone and, ideally, a portable charger
Emergency contact information stored somewhere other than your devices (in case your phone is inaccessible). Consider using a permanent marker to write your contact’s name and phone number on your hand/arm so other’s can easily locate it.
Identification, carried thoughtfully based on your comfort level. While it’d be nice to say that you aren’t at risk of having your items stolen, you will likely be in a large crowd with people constantly bumping in to you. The risk exists, but you need to weigh your options when considering your personal situation.
Hand sanitizer and tissues
Cash (small amount), if needed
Disposable camera in case your device is confiscated, lost, or damaged.
What to Avoid
Items that could be mistaken for weapons
Loose jewelry or accessories that could snag
Anything worn around your neck that could get caught, snagged, or used in an effort to unsafely restrain you.
Anything you wouldn’t want lost, confiscated, or damaged
Final reminder: Preparation is about care. This article is not meant to create fear. It’s purpose is to create informed communities so that they can remain safe while amplifying their voices. Being informed and equipped helps protect not only yourself, but the community around you.
Our approach to our Community Guides begins long before anything is published.
We take seriously the responsibility of doing the due diligence—researching, cross-referencing, and grounding our work in credible, evidence-based sources—because information shapes how people show up, stay safe, and care for one another. At the same time, we recognize that conditions change, research evolves, and new information emerges. If you ever notice something that feels out of date, incomplete, or no longer accurate, we encourage you to reach out to our team so we can update this guide and ensure the most current information is available to our community. For this post, we referenced multiple sources, which will be listed on our Advocacy Resource page which is coming soon:
References
BioKinetics. (n.d.). Understanding the impact of non-lethal projectiles: Balancing safety and security. https://biokinetics.com/understanding-the-impact-of-non-lethal-projectiles-balancing-safety-and-security/
CDC. (2023, May 17). Riot control agents. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/chemical-emergencies/chemical-fact-sheets/riot-control-agents.html
Hambling, D. (2020, June 8). The deadly truth behind rubber bullets. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2020/06/08/the-deadly-truth-behind-rubber-bullets/
IDA. (2018). Path analysis of human effects of flashbang grenades. Institute for Defense Analyses. https://www.ida.org/-/media/feature/publications/p/pa/path-analysis-of-human-effects-of-flashbang-grenades/d-9270.ashx
National Geographic. (2020, June 5). What nonlethal weapons can do to the body. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/what-nonlethal-weapons-can-do-to-the-body-george-floyd
PBS NewsHour. (2019, August 21). How tear gas works: A rundown of the chemicals used on crowds. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/how-tear-gas-works-a-rundown-of-the-chemicals-used-on-crowds
PHR. (2017). Health impacts of crowd-control weapons: Kinetic impact projectiles (rubber bullets). Physicians for Human Rights. https://phr.org/our-work/resources/health-impacts-of-crowd-control-weapons-kinetic-impact-projectiles-rubber-bullets/
Pollack Peacebuilding. (2021, March 18). De-escalation skills. https://pollackpeacebuilding.com/blog/de-escalation-skills/
U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency. (2021, September 21). De-escalation. https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-11/De-Escalation_Final%20508%20%2809.21.21%29.pdf
