Being in Minneapolis reading about what’s happening in other places in the US right now feels like what I imagine being in Italy must have felt like during the early spread of COVID-19. We’re a few days ahead of you, so here’s a thread with some advice from the future:

1) This unrest has been a long time coming and probably won’t be over anytime real soon. You should make sure to eat food, drink water, wear sunscreen, and get as much rest as you’re able to. If that’s not much, I get it. Same here.

2) Disinformation and paranoia are rampant and lack of sleep can make panic worse. In many cases, this is a bigger threat than actual threats. Confirm reports before you spread them. Be aware that information coming from police scanners and government officials is often bullshit.

3) We still live in a global pandemic and a lot of COVID precautions can seem pretty impractical on the streets, but they’re still important. Wear a mask out there and be as cautious as you can. Mask wearing is good both for health reasons and for defeating facial recognition.

4) The police are not your friends and in situations of civil unrest things you may be used to counting on can break down. Organize with your neighbors about how to deal with things like emergency services, food and medicine distribution, and taking care of each other’s needs.

5) Now is a good time to make plans and alternative arrangements for things you may count on, such as mail delivery. If you have a car, make sure your car works and has gas in it. Pack a go bag with IDs, meds and stuff you may need for a few days, just in case you need to GTFO.

6) If you don’t have a car or yours doesn’t work, now is a good time to make friends and plans with someone who has a car.

7) You can track helicopter, drone, and plane traffic on https://tar1090.adsbexchange.com/  & figure out who owns them on https://www.airport-data.com/ . Helis and planes that travel in tight circles may be capturing cell phone data or doing video surveillance. Predator drones travel in hexagons!

8) That CV Dazzle makeup thing doesn’t work, but there are effective precautions you can take to protect yourself from surveillance. This Surveillance Self-Defense guide from the Electronic Frontier Foundation is very good: https://ssd.eff.org/en 

9) Everything out there is really stressful and people aren’t always going to get along. For the people living and fighting together, take a deep breath and remember that we’re all stressed out and we’re in it together. This can be hard to do, but it’s important.

10) If you’re white, Black people aren’t always going to have a lot of patience for you right now. This is understandable, and you need to fight for racial justice anyway. Donate money, listen, lend your skills and voice, and work on your own racism. I promise, you’ve got some.

11) There are a lot of bad takes flying around the Internet. Arguing on the Internet is often a bad use of time. Arguing with bots is an especially bad use of time. Block freely.

If you’re white, talking with your white friends and family members can be a helpful thing though.

12) Read up on COINTELPRO and strategies that have been used by governments to create divisions and put down civil unrest in the past. Many of them really haven’t changed much!

This is a very good thread: https://twitter.com/clairewillett/status/1266895287886295041

13) It’s wild out there, and it’s only going to get wilder. Make plans now w/ your friends and neighbors for what to do when shit goes down. Consider small things, practical logistics, and BS detection. Take care of yourselves and each other.

Stay safe and dangerous, friends. <3

Errata: oil-based sunscreen binds riot control agents to your skin, which you don’t want! Make sure to wear water-based sunscreen out instead, or just more clothes.

Contact lenses also don’t mix well with chemical agents, so make sure not to wear those out on the streets either.