Thread by @PDXActionMedics

Thread for protest health and safety info!
We'll be boosting prep skills and info for new protesters, but also some more advanced info for medics and affinity groups.
Help us add to this in comments or DMs.

Much more info from "A friendly neighborhood street medic" can be found here: …dlyneighborhoodstreetmedic.tumblr.com

Always packed and ready to go. Things can be added day of when time permits. During the summer many of us were at protests most nights, sleeping a bit, going to work, then back to the protest.
We learned to keep our bag ready to roll.

https://twitter.com/PDXActionMedics/status/1320970468115898370?s=19

These wipes can help a lot and keep people drier after decontamination. They work best for tear gas but absolutely help for pepperspray, it just takes more of them to remove oil vs powder.

This guide from @crimethinc is especially for post-election protests and has many links at the bottom on tactics and safety info.
crimethinc.com/2020/10/27/eve…

Filling out a jail support form or "arrest will" can save your support team so much time and stress.
We have a template listed in the resources section of our website. Here's a video explaining more from Tucson Anti-Repression!
instagram.com/tv/CGlYE5eBHiq…

For gear we don't plan to produce much original content because there's great info already out there.

https://twitter.com/IAF__FAI/status/1300230897174675461?s=19

Also, not going to include info on legal resources because there are other people doing that better than we ever could.
Check out:
@CLDC
@NLG_Portland
@pdxgdc
@DefenseFundPdx

Rumor control is a huge concern for street medics. We get a lot of incorrect info about injuries and threats at protests.
We recommend the SALUTE method for info sharing as a template.

Size/Strength
Actions/activity
Location!!!
Uniform/description
Time
Equipment

Why avoid cotton?
Basically think of protesting as hiking. There's a *huge* amount of info about shoes and clothes for hiking. Goal is to stay warm + dry but not too warm and avoid foot pain right?
Cotton gets you cold when wet. Denim especially won't dry out and chafes skin.

As promised we're not going to get into detail about gear because other people already have.
If you want to delve into this there are books and blogs and videos. NOLS is a good place to start.


There's a saying among hikers that "cotton kills." Stay warm.

Looking at maps and location scouting in advance is always time well spent. In person is best but online via Google earth is still helpful.
@pdxprotestpdx has circulated maps made by comrades for frequent protest areas.
This is a starter guide and some examples from PDX.