Thread by @sunnshiiny

@jvipondmd

To ensure children’s safety, they should be left at home. Or put at the front of the protest group so they can’t be touched or spit upon.

There are inherent risks with protests. Physical & emotional abuse is a possibility. Only adults should be taking those risks.

https://twitter.com/sunnshiiny/status/1423833560633409537

We need to educate protesters. What to expect and how to protect themselves. (Not pepper spray).

Counter protesters are expected.

Counter protesters attempting to intimidate & terrorize protesters should be recorded on video.

This is not normal times and these protesters are not the average dissenters. They are using intimidation, terrorism and extremist rhetoric to prevent protesters narratives from being heard.

Invite the mainstream news media. Request several people to record & live stream. Find someone who can pull all recordings together to show multiple perspectives.

The point is to profile the counter protesters vile behaviour & provide evidence of their heinous behaviour.

That’s how you will win. By getting the public’s attention, support and demonstrating disgust for the counter protesters actions.

Spitting during covid is actually a criminal physical assault. Catch it on video from multiple sources and police will be forced to investigate.

Livestream every protest to a main site. People can watch the protest of their choice and register their likes. That will give people who can’t attend an opportunity to show support. Track the numbers daily. If you use meeting/conference software, you can limit who attends live.

As for police. You attract more bees with honey than vinegar. An apt adage.

Ban talk of defund the police. Invite supportive off duty police to speak at the events. Surely they must have an opinion. Be nice to them and thank them for their protection (even if it’s lacking).

Invest in thank you notes from protesters. If police receive 800 thank you notes when they arrive to monitor the protest, that’s going to impact them and their allegiance.

Hand scribbled or cards. Doesn’t matter.

Get parents to get their children to write them too.

That’s how you get children involved without risk. Get the children to draw & colour pictures of police protecting them from the virus and counter protesters.

Police are people too. Make an emotional appeal to their better nature & need to protect a vulnerable child.

Expanding the focus of the protest may help attract more protesters. Numbers are good.

Invite the PWD community to join the protests. Make sure they are surrounded by able bodied people who can protect them from violence.

Invite the Heart & Lung association.

Invite their board members & their staff to speak about long covid.

Invite the Diabetes Association, Canadian Neurological Society, Kidney Foundation. Invite every group that represents the conditions of long covid. Get them to explain what to expect.

Invite nurses who are being asked to do more with less. Let nurses who do the work in ICUs and PICUs describe in detail what happens to covid patients.

Invite hospital workers who clean the rooms that covid patients are in.

Invite workers from businesses who aren’t protecting their employees. Meat packing plants, large industrial sites (oil and gas worksites).

Invite transportation workers and workers who perform water sanitation, and utilities services, sanitation & talk about risks to them.

Invite local business owners who will suffer shut downs again when the fourth wave gets out of control. Invite funeral directors to reveal the numbers of people who have died and people couldn’t attend a funeral.

Get them to describe a child’s funeral.

Get people who support this protest to bang pots together to make loud noise every day at 7:30 AM and 7:30 PM. The Wake up and pay attention grass roots emergency broadcast system.

People can just stand on their doorstep or outside their apartment on the sidewalk and bang for 2 minutes. Then paste an explanation on their door or front window explaining the reason to their neighbours.

It’s also a way to let other supporters know another one is close by.

Check out these resources to help with other ideas.

civicus.org/protest-resili…

effectiveactivist.com/tactics/protes…

chathamhouse.org/2020/12/what-m…

pri.org/stories/2019-1…

nonviolenceny.org/post/understan…

I’ve assembled these resources for easy reference.

Not all of us can attend protests. But we can still participate in many ways. I know a few women that would be more than happy to help out organizing, helping raise funds, circulating written material, etc.

We know we are fighting for ours and our children’s lives.

However people can help, they will. We must build on the momentum.