Page 30 - American Survival Guide - October 2017

MULTIPLE PLAYERS
A protest, which sometimes turns into a
riot, is a complex, organic, living thing made
up of many interacting components.
Protesters: These people come together
with the desire to exercise their First
Amendment rights in a peaceful manner.
Rioters: These are people who destroy
property, attack people and cause problems
for, and challenge, authorities. They might
have started out as peaceful protesters but
turn aggressive when some event occurs
that pushes them outside the bounds of
civility. Alternatively, they might have come
with the specifi c purpose of causing may-
hem, or they use the protest as an excuse to
steal and destroy the property of others.
Victims: These are the innocent bystanders,
businesses, and property owners who are
victimized by the crowds that are blocking
lawful access to—or rioters destroying or
ransacking—their property or business.
Law enforcement: Law enforcement per-
sonnel usually try to maintain order, protect
life and property, manage the chaos that is
unfolding and limit its spread and escalation.
Media: This group has historically had › Above: When A PROTEST, WHICH SOMETIMES
protests turn
the responsibility of reporting the news violent, people TURNS INTO A RIOT, IS A COMPLEX,
accurately and without bias. They are sometimes take
advantage of
not supposed to make the news or favor the confusion to ORGANIC, LIVING THING MADE UP OF
sides or agendas. take what they MANY INTERACTING COMPONENTS.
need or want;
Also, some media outlets tend to fi lter or they just take
or slant their coverage to emphasize the anything ... even
a selfie. (Photo:
outlet’s political and philosophical beliefs. CMGDigital.com) cities along your travel route so you can avoid potential tra c blockades.
With today’s instant “journalism” fed If you forget to do this, or something spontaneous pops up, our old friend, “situational
by Twitter feeds, Instagram videos and awareness,” comes into play. Growing crowds of people in a certain area or intersection; the
real-time Facebook videos, this reporting sounds of police or fi re vehicles moving in your direction or near you; and people with signs,
can have an immediate e ect on the masks or other things you associate with protests are all indicators you should be switching
unfolding events by infl aming the crowd. from “condition white” to “condition yellow” or “orange.”
Unfortunately, the very presence of the If you feel something might happen, take the initiative—even if you feel silly about it—and
press can change the behavior of people, take a new route around where you think the trouble might take place. If you are like me,
and physical attacks on members of the
media have increased in recent years.

AVOID IT BEFORE IT
HAPPENS
The best way to escape a riot or violent
protest is to avoid it in the fi rst place.
You accomplish this with a little advance
research and planning and a healthy dose
of situational awareness.
Political and social justice activists make
good use of the Internet to let people know
when they have something planned, so a
Web search will often show you what is
going on out there. A call to the city hall or › Right: Rioters
stand atop a
mayor’s o ce for the city you are going to police car that
will point you to the agency that manages was attacked
and damaged
permits for demonstrations; you can then during the riots
see if any formal demonstrations are in Baltimore,
Maryland. (Photo:
planned. If you are driving, check the major CMGDigital.com)

30 AMERICAN SURVIVAL GUIDE [OCTOBER 2017]

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