Resource Hub

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  • This collection of resources offers information about safety and security for protesters. It includes everything from a digital security checklist and instructions for creating a safety plan, to information about your rights and risks in interacting with law enforcement. We hope that working through this guide helps you minimize risk exposure and build confidence for when you hit the streets!

    NOTE: We’re pointing you towards some online resources to get you started. There’s likely  already a wealth of protest know-how in your community. Ask around, join local chapters of organizations, and seek out in person trainings! Learning from other activists is necessary and invaluable.

    • Which types of protests have the strongest First Amendment protections?

    • Safety steps

    • Know Your Rights

    • Taking photos at protests

    • What happens if things go wrong?

    • How do I continue movement building beyond attending a protest? Finding and joining organizations.

  • You’re building a movement and want to skill up! This section covers the tough stuff: nuts and bolts of vetting (building your org or action squad), creating security and de-escalation teams for protests, and planning non-violent direct actions. It also covers permitting, organizing protests, and tips on how to successfully grow a group or organization. Our hub focuses on opsec, security, and resilience against state repression, rather than, say, creating comms or honing protest demands, so we encourage you to also seek out other resources! And remember - in-person trainings will always be the best bet to get engaged and increase your knowledge. (Note: This work requires digital security know-how. Check out Syllabus 4 to brush up your skills!)

    We’re pointing you towards some online resources to get you started. There’s likely already a wealth of protest know-how in your community. Ask around, and seek out in person trainings!

    • If you have 5 minutes

    • Know Your Rights, make a safety plan, and recognize common police tactics

    • Organizing protests

    • Growing as an organization

  • Regardless of immigration status, you have rights! And if you’re an ally, you always have choices. Here are know your rights resources for immigrants, response options for activists, and a guide to navigating immigrant aid for nonprofits. As always - your safety and comfort are top priority.

    • Know Your Rights for immigrants and allies

    • How can I help, and what is my organization allowed to do?

  • Digital security keeps our movements safe. The following resources cover how to assess your risks, harden your digital defenses, and engage in surveillance self-defense.

    • Why do I need digital security?

    • Have 5 minutes?

    • Principles of creating a security plan

    • Threat modeling 

    • Attending a protest on the ground

    • Planning non-violent direct action

    • Self-defense: encrypting your devices

    • If your devices are confiscated 

    • Keeping profiles separate on the internet

    • Avoiding doxxing / dealing with online harassment

  • Even if you’re under arrest or agents are knocking on your door, you have rights and you have choices. Here’s who to contact in a crisis, a roadmap to your choices in the criminal legal system, and how to respond to subpoenas, warrants, and door knocks.  

    • Who to contact in a crisis

    • Know your choices once arrested

    • If you’re being investigated

    • If there’s an agent at the door

    • Lawsuits

  • The right to protest is under siege. “Copycat” anti-protest bills are sweeping through state legislatures, corporations are trying to sue activists into silence, and penalties are increasing for protest-related offenses. Here are trackers and big-picture guides for journalists, policymakers, and researchers. 

    • Criminal 

    • Anti-boycott legislation

    • Civil lawsuits against activists

  • Building legal infrastructure can build organizational muscle, unlock fundraising capacity, and help you expand your work. There are many options for setting up a nonprofit, bail fund, or mutual aid network, and these guides run you through the pros and cons of various legal structures.

    • Setting up organizational legal structures

    • Fiscal sponsorship models

    • Legal considerations for mutual aid funds

    • Fundraising models and tax exempt status

    • Deplatforming

    • How to protect your nonprofit

We hope that these resources provide useful direction. Unfortunately, we are not your lawyer, and this hub is not intended to provide direct legal advice or representation.

These resources were collected with input from protest defense networks. The organizations whose resources we’ve included do not necessarily endorse every other resource included, and the endorsers of the Free to Speak Bill of Rights do not have a stance on endorsement of the resource hub.


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