Mask Up For the DNC

Enemy of the State

The dangers of government agents photographing protesters at the anti-DNC protest is probably over-hyped by the brownshirts spamming the newswires, however for some of you it may be wise to wear a mask.  This advice goes out not only to anarchists, but to the full range of political ideologies in attendance.  If you are an outspoken person, thought by some as a leader or if you have a job that could be threatened by doctored photos or by someone putting protest pictures up on the web, it would be wise to take precautions.  Bandana's are available in many clothing stores, Army-Navy stores and crafts stores (in fact, craft stores are the best places to get solid black or solid red bandanas at low prices).  If you cannot afford to buy a bandana, find some rags and make one.

Use common sense.  Do not assume that someone interviewing you is a member of the press.  Ask for press credentials if you wish to participate in an interview.  Keep in mind that the press is not our friend.  They distort the news and present it in a light that favors the position of their corporate owners.  It might be a better strategy to be unfriendly to the corporate press and view them as opponents.  After all, they did all they could to get us into this war.  If they want footage, give them footage of angry Americans opposed to the lies of the press and media.

If someone interviews you, consider using a fake name.  If they ask where you live or work, either refuse to answer or tell an outrageous lie.

For those of you who don't believe you have any reason to mask up, my personal message is that I did not believe I had a reason to either until it was too late.  We do not live in the America we have been brought up to believe we live in.  You should think of yourself as a dissident in some banana republic.  They wear masks for good reasons and so should you.

As for those who decide to publish photos of protests on the Internet, I urge you to blur the faces of protesters or to paste a graphic (such as a black rectangle) over the faces of protesters.  This technique is used in Latin America and in Europe as well.  It is time that we adapted to this reality here as well.  I would go so far as to state that given the evidence of online smearing we have seen over the last year, we should demand that the faces of real protesters be obscured in online photos (of course, expose the undercover cops and agent provocateurs as usual).

If someone asks you about other protesters, question the reason for their request and think about how you would feel if your own personal information were shared with others.

We need to graduate from being naive Americans to real resisters of fascism.  Rise to the occasion.

On Biometrics:

It is not enough to obscure your nose and mouth alone.  Wear sunglasses (wide if possible) as well.

If you are wanted by law enforcement or under surveillance, your gate (the way you walk) is one of the features they are looking for.  You can change your gate slightly by placing a pad in one of your shoes or wearing shoes which are very different from your normal shoes.  It will not change it completely, but in combination with other changes to your "visual signature" it will help.

If you are on the MBTA and you suspect that you are being followed, get off at the next train station and walk a great distance, up or down, the platform before getting on the next train.  This will confuse whoever is following you.  Should they get off at the next station to try to hook up with you when the train passes again, they will not know what car you are on.

Within train stations that have vertical poles for support, you can "hide" by standing at one end of the station or the other and moving forward or backward as necessary to use the alignment of the poles to block the view of anyone near the middle or the other end of the station on the same platform.

Consider bringing a shirt of another color with you and carry it in your backpack or pocket book.  If something happens during the protest and the police are pursuing you, it may help to change the color of your shirt.