Mask up

Neutral colored clothing with no logos. I use colored tape matching the color of your backpack or shoes or whatever to cover up logos. Be sure to remove it once you’re at a safe distance.

Bring a nondescript hat, whatever is normal in your area, with no logos or distinguishing marks. Bring sunscreen if appropriate

Wear good closed toed shoes that lace up securely, and that you can run in.

A pair of sturdy leather gloves, or something that won’t burn easily, can be handy for various reasons.

Water. More water than you think you need. Water is so critical. Bring water for yourself and if you can carry it water for others.

Put some toilet paper, menstraul pads, and trash bags in your backpack. Just a few, but they’re handy to have if you get kettled or stuck somewhere and people need to poop.

Bring snacks. Protein bars, granola, dried fruit, anything that won’t spoil and has some protein in it. Bring some hard sugar candy for people with blood sugar issues

First aid kit. To me the essentials are controlling serious bleeds instead of minor cuts and scrapes. So medical tape, a roll of gauze, fancier trauma stuff if you have it. There will likely be actual street medics but every little helps.

Bring a couple of days of any medication you need, preferably in the original bottles with prescription notes on them. Don’t bring more than you’d need for a few days. avoid bringing loose pills or pills in baggies if possible.

Bring a roll of strong tape. It’ll always come in handy for something.

Get one or two extra pairs of socks. Put them in a sealed plastic bag with all the air smooshed out of it and shove them in the bottom of your pack. It’ll help a lot if your feet get wet.

One of those tiny fold up plastic emergency ponchos is nice to have if it rains or otherwise gets wet.

Go through your stuff and remove anything that a person who hates you could call a weapon. Pocket knives are the big one. Try to keep all your supplies out of sight when you don’t need them. Keep them in your backpack for the most part and only take them out when needed. Try to avoid stuffing your jacket pockets or pants pockets, it’ll keep you from standing out as much.

Optionally carry a spare top layer - a hoodie, windbreaker, something you can stuff in the backpack, that you can switch too once you’re out of sight of the protest to make yourself harder to follow.

Chemical splash goggles or safety goggles, along with a good mask, can help a great deal with tear gas and pepper spray.

Final note on supplies - Be mindful of the weight of your backpack. Generally being able to run is the most important way to protect yourself. If your backpack is heavy enough to be a burden during the day consider dropping things that seem less essential. Being prepared is good but you’ll have to find a good sweet spot between being ready for everything and having too much stuff.

Generally speaking you want to bring the minimum amount of ID that is required by law. Cash is generally preferable to cards as it’s harder to track you by purchases.

Try to figure out what your local laws around speech, assembly, and protest are. Try to find out what you are legally required to tell police if you’re arrested and what rights, if any, you have against being forced to answer questions or incriminate yourself.

Find contact numbers for any local legal support organizations. Either right them down on a note card or write them on your body with permanent marker. Note that in some jurisdictions in the USA having legal aid numbers written on your body has been used as evidence against protestors.

Decide how arrestable you are - If the police come in hard can you manage to spend a few days, weeks, or months in jail? Do you have obligations or medical reasons why you need to stay out of jail? This can inform how “stuck in” you can get. Young healthy people will generally be better able to cope with jail time than someone with a chronic illness or kids. If you have reason to avoid arrest do not be ashamed to move to the back if things get sketchy. If you can afford to be arrested you can help less able comrades in a pinch. Put yourself between them and the cops while they move away.

Keep an eye on potential exits. If things get bad have an idea of how to leave the space you’re in.

If you have a bicycle and can afford to potentially lose it then bikes are very useful to have in urban areas. You can move around quite quickly, often quicker than cars. You can strap supplies to them. In an emergency you can use two bicycles, sticks or broom handles or whatever, and tape to make an emergency stretcher. If necessary they’re bulky and can be used as barriers. If you need to escape bikes can allow you to move much faster than cops on foot.

If the situation feels bad trust your gut.

Be prepared to ditch your bag and supplies if you need to. All your supplies should be considered disposable. Try not to bring anything you can’t afford to replace.

If you’re facing enemy counter protestors, I find it helpful, instead of looking right at them and yelling at them, to pick a spot above or to the side of their head and stare in to the middle distance. Yelling at them can be exhilarating but it mostly doesn’t help. Keep an eye out for comrades who look mad enough to start throwing punches. If it’s not a fight, try to caution them that you need them healthy and not-arrested so they’re ready when there isn an important fight. Remind them that a fight now might be righteous, but if they save their strength for later they’ll be better able to defend their comrades.

If things get really bad a towel soaked in water or a blanket soaked in water can be used to put out anyone on fire. Remember to stop, drop, and roll if you’re on fire.

Always stick with your group if you can. If you’re going with friends make sure to have a plan for entering the space and a plan for leaving the space. Try to stay together and avoid wandering off separately. Have an agreed rally point to meet your friends at if things get sketchy. Tell friends where you will be going and when you expect to be back.

Avoid bringing your phone if at all possible. Modern phones don’t really turn off and may continue to send or receive information even when turned off. The ideal phone, if you must bring one, is the cheapest old cell phone you can get with a cash pre-paid plan. Pull the battery out to insure it’s really off. The only numbers in it should be the number for your lawyer or legal aid group. Any other numbers you should memorize. Make sure to delete all call logs. If you have to ditch the phone try to pull the SIM, break it, and dispose of it separately.

A lot of this sounds grim but this is being prepared if things go seriously sideways. I’ve used my protest stuff to mend damaged shoes, hand out snacks to hungry kids, clean and tape up minor scrapes, and give myself a sore back far, far more than I’ve ever used it for anything exciting. Be safe, but also have fun, and take pride in fighting for what is good.